


Under Siege

by Lady_Anon_x



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Alec Lightwood Speaks Spanish, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Powers, BAMF Alec Lightwood, BAMF Magnus Bane, Canon-Typical Violence, Guns, M/M, Magnus is President, Out of the Closet Alec Lightwood, Parent Alec Lightwood, Protective Alec Lightwood, Raphael Santiago Speaks Spanish, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:33:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24045187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Anon_x/pseuds/Lady_Anon_x
Summary: Alec and his son, Rafael, were having a nice tour around the White House when a group of armed individuals took control. Alec got separated from his son and when trying to find him, found the gorgeous President, Magnus Bane, being held at gunpoint.After rescuing Magnus the two have to keep moving and Alec must keep the President alive at all costs or die trying.Will they make it out?Will Alec ever see his son again?Will Alec and Magnus kiss? Wait what?White House Down AU
Relationships: Magnus Bane & Raphael Santiago, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Simon Lewis/Raphael Santiago
Comments: 56
Kudos: 356





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Back at it with another AU Fic haha. Hope you enjoy.  
> I'll try to post as regualrly as I can!
> 
> Also, in my mind Joshua Rush is Rafael Lightwood. Fight me on it.

It was 1am and Rafael Lightwood knew he should be asleep. His papa would not be happy if he knew he was up all night. He couldn't help it, he didn't have a chance to listen to President Magnus Bane's speech earlier and he needs to know what he's doing. He was lying in bed and opened YouTube on his phone and started to watch the press conference that Magnus had given yesterday.

“ _For too long this country has been fighting. We need to realise that there is no 'us' and 'them' any more. There is no difference between people from the Downworld and people from the Upworld. Our laws and rules don't let the Downworld have chances like we do and that needs to stop. This is why I will be meeting with Amara of the Seelie Court to discuss a treaty so that this senseless fighting ends.”_

Rafael smiles as the clip ends. He really likes President Bane, he wanted to make differences for people like him and his family even though he's an Upworlder. Rafael still doesn't really know what the difference is, his papa and abuela say he's too young to understand but he's almost eleven. He just knows that he should be wary around people from the Upworld because they won't like him because of where he comes from which, in Rafael's opinion, is ridiculous.

His thoughts are interrupted by loud rumbling. He gets up out of bed and walks over to the window, peaking through his curtains. Three large Sea King choppers fly past, each emblazoned with _United States of America_ on the side. Rafael grins because he just knows that President Bane is inside one of those choppers.

Inside the cabin of Marine One is 7 armed guards, Secret Service Agent Lydia Branwell, the Presidents Personal Assistant, and close friend, Raphael Santiago and seated beside Raphael is President Magnus Bane.

Lydia keys her wrist mic, “Castle, this is Hummingbird, we are inbound from Andy, three minutes out-”

“Lydia.”

Lydia looks to Raphael in front of her.

“He wants to do the thing.” he says with a non-heated glare towards a grinning Magnus.

“Really?”

He nods, “Really.”

“Mr. President, it's not a good idea to deviate from the flight plan...”

Magnus smiles at her, “Come on, Lydia, pretty please? Leader of the free world here, saying 'pretty please' here. Oughta count for something.”

Lydia smiles and keys her radio mic. “Captain, this is Agent Branwell. The President would like to do the thing.”

“Copy that. Let's give him the special tour. Dropping to thirty feet.”

Magnus is delighted and nudges Raphael's side who is trying to hide his own smile as the helicopter banks left. They fly over the Lincoln Memorial and over the reflecting pool.

“You know I love that you proposed to Simon in front of Lincoln, I was so proud of you that day.”

Raphael smiles, “I know. You tell me every time we do this.”

Magnus grins as they go around the Washington Monument and his destination comes into view. The White House.

“Castle, this is Hummingbird, we are one minute out, I need a go/no go.” Lydia speaks to her wrist.

“Hummingbird, this is Castle Ground, you are clear.”

“Hummingbird, this is Castle Sky, you are clear.”

“Hummingbird, this is Castle Keep, you are clear.”

One of the other choppers land first but the doors do not open.

“Castle keep?” Lydia questions.

“Clear, ma'am.”

“Decoy up, Marine One in.”

The first chopper rises and Marine One takes it's place to land.

“Seems excessive sometimes, doesn't it?” Magnus looks to Raphael.

Raphael just blinks, “You're the President.”

Magnus gives him a large grin, “Indeed I am. Shall we?”

Four Marines run to the chopper and place themselves on either side of the door. As the door opens Magnus walks out and gives the marines a salute as he walks towards the White House with Lydia and Raphael close behind.

“Anything else on the agenda?”

The two shake their heads, “No, sir.”

“Excellent, this President needs his beauty sleep. Wake me if the world is ending.” he gestures for Raphael to follow, “Come along Raphael, you must tell me what you're planning for your anniversary tomorrow.”

Raphael grumbles and follows the President inside. Not complaining too much because he really does have the best job in the world.

Over in Georgetown there is a Secret Service Agent standing a very different detail. Secret Service Agent Alexander, Alec, Lightwood stands protecting Speaker of the House, Valentine Morgenstern's bathroom door. There is an awful coughing coming from inside followed by wheezing and Alec winces. “Is there any tissues out there?” comes the raspy voice. Alec takes a look around and spots a box of tissues on a table and comes back to knock on the door. Valentine sticks his head out the door dressed in his pyjamas and sighs, “Oh, thank you, Alec. I'll make you some coffee when I'm finished.”

“I'm fine, Mr Speaker-” he starts to protest but Valentine interrupts.

“I insist.”

Alec heads downstairs and checks all the windows, looking outside he knows his partner Jace is parked outside, snoozing in the SUV. Valentine comes downstairs now dressed in a suit and they both head to the kitchen. Alec takes a seat at the breakfast bar and waits as Valentine makes the coffee and brings over two mugs and sets one in front of Alec who thanks him. As Valentine turns on the T.V the news is on President Bane's speech from the day before.

“ _There are those who will say this is a foolish mistake. That an opportunity for peace is a show of weakness. To them I say that I have found a friend in Amara and together we will prove that the pen is truly mightier than the sword.”_

Alec takes a sip of the coffee and his eyes widen but before he can spit the offensive liquid in his mouth Valentine turns to him and sits down. Alec swallows the coffee with the straightest of faces.

“What do you think of all of this?”

Alec isn't expecting the question and shrugs, “I don't think my opinion is that important sir.”

“You're a Downworlder aren't you?”

Alec frowns but he knows that Valentine isn't being rude, “Yes. I guess, if anything, it could open new opportunities for my son.” He clears his throat, “If you don't agree with him why didn't you run against him?”

Valentine shakes his head as he checks his watch and gets up to grab his coat, “Oh no. That's a job I don't want.” he laughs, “I quite like my office. Plus, I think the voters today want someone... cool.”

Alec gets the all clear to move outside, “I think you're pretty cool, Mr Speaker.” Then Valentine blows his nose into his tissue and they both chuckle.

Alec escorts him into the back seat, running around the vehicle he gets in the passenger side, “Pinball is rolling, we are enroute to Punchbowl.” Alec talks into his wrist.  
Driving along the road he looks up and sees 'Punchbowl', the United States Capitol building.

Alec escorts Valentine through the halls of the Capitol. “You have your interview today?” Valentine questions casually. Alec is surprised when he looks at him and Valentine chuckles.

“I know you want to be on the President's detail. I understand, a young man like you needs excitement.”

Alec turns into a stuttering mess, “Sir, I- I appreciate everything you've done for me. It's just-”

Valentine pats him on the shoulder, “It's all right, son. It's good to have that ambition. I'll be sorry to see you go is all. We've had a good time.” Valentine smiles at Alec and Alec nods and grins in return.

Alec escorts him into a large room and watches as Valentine heads over to some other official looking Upworlders in suits.

Jace slaps him on the shoulder, “So anything happene last night?”

“He watched Jeopardy, went to bed at eight, got up to pee twice, and is still having that allergy thing. So we need to start keeping tissues in the downstairs bathroom. Apart from that no. He's all yours” Alec counted them off on his fingers and they chuckled.

“I'll try not to die of excitement.” Jace laughed.

Alec noticed the Vice President's secretary, Andrew Underhill, walk past. He grew up on Alec's street and they were always on good terms. Almost anyone high ranking in the government is an Upworlder and mostly Downworlders are there on the protection detail.

“Hey. Andrew!” Alec jogs after him,

“Alec, hey.” Andrew smiles.

“Did you get them?”

Underhill grins and takes an envelope out of his pocket. “Two passes, one for Agent Lightwood and one for Mister Rafael Lightwood, timed for straight after your interview.”

Alec lets out a sigh of relief and gives him a hug. “Thank you so much! This is going to make me dad of the year.”

Underhill slaps his back, “You already are.”

Young Rafael Lightwood is sitting eating toast at his abuela's kitchen table when there is a knock on the door. His grandmother, Maryse, smiles at him and goes to the front door.

Alec smiles as his mother opens the door. “Hi, mama.”

Maryse smiles and pulls him into a big hug, “Mijo.”

“Papa!” a small blur comes running around the corner and Alec grins as he picks up his son.

“Oh, Rafi, you're so heavy. What did you have for breakfast?” Alec groans. Rafael smiles and gives his dad a big hug. “Were you a good boy for abuela?”

Maryse ruffles Rafael's hair, “He was perfect as always.” The three walk back into the kitchen.

Setting Rafael down Alec tells him to go grab his things, “I've got a surprise for you and we don't want to be late.” Rafael nods and sprints out of the room.

Alec sits where Rafael was moments before and ate the remaining crusts from the boys plate, looking up to his mother smiling at him. “What?”

“I'm just so proud of you.”

Alec rolled his eyes and groaned, “Mama, please.”

“You're raising a wonderful child, Alec.” Alec smiles, truly that is the biggest compliment he could receive.

They both chuckle as they hear Rafael's thundering footsteps on the stairs, his backpack on his back and huffing, slightly out of breath.

“Ready, hijo?”

Alec rubs his hands together getting rid of the crumbs and stands. “Say goodbye, Rafi.”

Rafael goes over to Maryse and gives her a big hug. “Thank you, abuela. I'll see you soon. Love you.” he blows her a kiss and follows Alec out the door.

“Bye, Rafi. Good luck, Alec!”

Alec climbs in as Rafael buckles his seatbelt.

Keeping his eyes on the road he takes small glances at Rafael, “Want to see what I got?”

Rafael nods enthusiastically.

Alec takes the envelope out of his pocket and hands it over to his son.

“What is it?”

Alec sends a light-hearted glare his way, “A pony. Just open it, Raf.”

Rafael rolls his eyes exactly like his dad and opens the envelope.

“These are White House passes?” He looks over to Alec with wide eyes. “I didn't think they even gave White House tours any more.”

“They do if you know the right people. I thought you might want to see where the most powerful man in the world lives.”

“It says you have a meeting?” Rafael looks at his fathers pass, “With Lydia Branwell?”

“I have a quick meeting with the Secret Service and then we can go on the tour.”

Rafael's mouth is like a fish, “That's so cool!”

Magnus stands in front of the mirror, applying his eyeliner as he listens to the news.

_'President Bane is one of those academics who never had to work for anything. Now he wants to try to unite us with people we've been fighting with for decades? Some say he is acting like a spoilt child who never heard the word no.'_

Magnus gives the T.V a dirty look and walks over to his window. Pulling the curtain back a little he can see the same reporter on his lawn.

He's broken out of his thoughts as there is a knock at the door. “Come in.”

Raphael walks in, “Magnus.”

Magnus holds a hand up, “Remind me again why we let them broadcast from our lawn?”

“Freedom of the press...?” Raphael looks at him, not blinking.

“You know? I knew it was something.” Raphael blinks at him, “Okay okay, how is Seelie Court taking it?”

“The treaty will be a rough sell there.”

“Amara is the key, if we lose her, we lose everything.” Magnus gives him a small smile, “You'd be looking at a one term President.”

“Best hope not then. I quite like my job and I have a mortgage to pay.”

Magnus grins and lightly smacks Raphael on the back of the head. “Exactly. Now, I need to get back to being President.”

Raphael nods, “Of course sir, follow me. I'll take you through the agenda for today.”

Magnus groans and follows his friend out the door.

Did you know that one point five million people visit the White House every year?”

Alec smiles, “I did not.”

“That works out at five thousand people a day.” Rafael barely stops to take a breath. “And did you know that the White House was originally called the Presidential Palace?”

“Fascinating.”

Alec pokes his son who is too engrossed by his phone. “Hmm?” Alec points ahead of them.

“Oh... wow.” There the White House stands in all it's glory.

Alec pulls up to the huge guard gate. There is an officer in the booth who leans out. “Morning folks. Gonna need some photo ID and passes.”

Alec takes the passes off Rafael and hands the guard his ID badge and Rafael's passport.

Two armoured guards appear from nowhere, one with a sniffer dog and one with a large pole with a mirror at the end. The two men search around the car. Rafael sticks his head out the window.

“What are you guys looking for?”

The guy with the dog looks up, “Explosives.”

Rafael's eyes widen and he turns back to Alec. “This is awesome!” he whispers.

Alec smiles at his son's enthusiasm and turns to the guard who is handing their ID's and passes back. “Park up on the left and go to the East Lobby. Have a good one.”

“Thank you, sir.” Alec replies and drives into the White House.

As they both walk through the doors Alec watches a a group of men pulling different items for sound systems out of the van and into the White House.

“Did you know that the President travels in an eight ton military armoured modified Cadillac CTS, built to withstand gas, chemical and missile attacks?”

Alec's attention switches back to his son as they walk inside. “That's all on the internet?”

Rafael giggles, “Wikipedia.”

There's a guard desk to their right, metal detectors in front. In front of that are two more security checkpoints, x-rays, body scan, bag search and facial recognition. It reminds Alec of a very fancy airport.

“Welcome to the White House! We're going to take you through three levels of security today. First, I'm going to need to empty your pockets - all metal objects in the tray please. Cell phones and cameras are permitted on the premises, but need to be examined by the agents first.”

Rafael takes off his jacket and belt, putting his phone in the tray and gets in line for the body scan.

Alec looks to the guard. “Secret Service, off duty, carrying.”

“You'll have to have your weapon checked in, sir.”

Alec slowly pulls his gun out of his holster, showing the guard the safety is on, he pulls the magazine out of the gun and ejects the bullet from the chamber. He shows the guard who nods and Alec puts the items into the lockbox in front of him.

Alec and Rafael are led to a quiet hallway, Alec is sitting in one of the seats and Rafael is looking at the pictures on the walls.

“So how's school?”

“School sucks.” he shrugs.

“Good talk, Raf.”

Rafael sighs.

“What is it, hijo?”

“Our teacher wants us to make a family tree.”

Alec opens his arms and Rafael falls into his chest. Rafael's mother has been a sore spot for him, them both really. Back when Alec was trying to convince himself he was straight he had gotten drunk and had a one night stand. He had never heard from the girl again until two years later. He had opened his door to a two year old on his doorstep with his birth certificate and a letter. The birth certificate had his name as the father and a fake name for the mother, Alec checked. The letter had stated she had kept the baby for two years but can't do it any more and it's Alec's so he should have the child, she didn't even leave a name for the child.

“Did anyone say anything to you about it?”

Rafael shrugged, “They kept asking me why don't I know my mother.”

Alec kissed the top of his sons hair. “Hey.” Rafael looked up to him and Alec poked his nose. “At least you have less work to do.”

Rafael laughs at that.

The door opens and Lydia Branwell steps out into the hallway.

Alec's eyebrows go up into his hairline, “Lydia.”

Lydia smiles, “Alec.”

“You're... Special Agent Lydia Branwell...” Alec has to pick his jaw off the floor as he looks at his old college buddy.

“You're my nine o'clock.”

They both chuckle and Rafael slides under Alec's arm. “Oh, uh. This is Rafael, my son.”

“Son?” Lydia furrows her brow in confusion.

“It's a long story.” Lydia was one of the first people he came out to, so he can understand her surprise that he has a son.

“Shall we?”

Lydia walks in and Rafael squeezes his side. “Good luck.”

Lydia walks behind a desk and gestures him to sit. Alec hears a man come up behind him and out of habit his head quickly turns to look at him.

“This is my colleague, Special Agent Todd. Standard Secret Service protocol requires a two-agent review for every interview and we record the interview as well.” the man hands Lydia a file and silently moves to the back of the room. Alec goes to shake his hand, “You're not to look at Agent Todd. You're to look at me.”

Alec pulls back his hand and moves to sit down, his eyes going back to the man, “Sorry... I just looked at him.”

Lydia clicks the button on the recorder and sits down with the file open, “The subject is Alexander Lightwood. Born 1990. Downworlder, grew up in the Bronx, New York. Graduated from Idris High. Bounced from job to job. A child with an unknown woman, gained full custody in 2011.” She looked up to Alec with an eyebrow raised.

“Like I said, long story.”

“You joined the army in 2009, two tours of Afghanistan and wounded in the Kunar Province.”

“Yes ma'am.” Alec nods.

“You received a Purple Heart and a Silver Star. You pulled Corporal Fairchild from a burning Humvee?” She questioned and sat back.

“There was an IED attack. The Humvee flipped, we were taking fire and I grabbed her.”

“Why?” she sat forward staring at him.

Alec raised an eyebrow, “I was a little concerned she was getting too warm in there.” He heard Agent Todd snort behind him.

“Sarcastic as ever.” Lydia isn't impressed, “Corporal Fairchild is the daughter of the Speaker of the House and she got you the job with the Capitol Police after you were discharged in 2011 under the DADT administration.”

Agent Todd snorted again.

“If Special Agent Todd keeps making those sounds I'm going to start looking at him.”

Lydia looks up, “Will you give us a moment please, Ryan?”

Agent Todd raised his eyebrow at Alec and then walked out the door.

Lydia leans forward and turns off the recorder and sighs. “Alec, why do you want to be in the Secret Service?”

“I couldn't think of a more important job than protecting the President.”

“Alec. You're too hot headed. When he snorted at your reasoning for being discharged your hackles went up. I need to be able to depend on you to be calm and collected everyday. If someone mentions your sexuality or even where you're from, who knows what you'll do. This is very serious.”

“Seriously? Lydia-” Alec tried to argue but she cut him off.

“I'm sorry, Alec. Really.”

Alec snorts and stands. “Okay. Well it was great to see you again, Lydia.” he holds out his hand and quickly shakes it before walking out the door.

Rafael stands up quickly and runs over to him grinning. “Did you get the job?”

Alec didn't have the heart to disappoint his son. “I might be in with a shot. You know how it is, they need to talk amongst themselves and all that.” he puts his arm around Rafael and they walk down the stairs. Rafael looks at the watch on his fathers arm and gasps, “Dad, dad it's nine, the tour is starting! We can see where you'll be working.” Rafael grabs his hand and they turn the corner and walk over to where a group of people are standing, ordinary families, tourists and a bunch of school girls too.

“Hey, guys! Are you here for the tour?” a man in a suit with glasses is standing in the middle of the group. “My name is Simon and I'll be your guide for today as we take a walk through American history.” the man spins in a circle so he makes eye contact with everyone, “First of all I'd like to give you all a very warm welcome to the White House.” he grins, “You know, we get visitors from all across the globe, where are you folks from?” he points to a small family.

“Ireland.”

“Ooohh, so far. What brings you to the White House today?” this man was incredibly chirpy.

“I would love to see the tunnels where JFK snuck in Marilyn Monroe.”

Simon huffs out a laugh, “Ahh, I'm afraid no such tunnels exist. However we have some very amazing sights to show you guys. Follow me.”

Simon leads the group through the hall of the East Wing. “Now, does anyone know how old the White House is?”

Rafael's hand shot up and Simon pointed to him, “228 years old.”

Simon raises his eyebrows in surprise, “Very accurate and... correct.”

“Now construction began in 1792 on what was then called the President's House. Article One, Section Eight of the US Constitution set forth that a district of not more than ten miles square should house the new seat of government. Does anyone know why?”

Rafael looked close to bursting as he put his hand up and Simon smiled as he pointed to him again. “So that no one state could claim the President's House.”

“Right again, young man.” Simon gives Rafael a high five.

Alec smiles and places his hands on Rafael's shoulders. “You really know a lot about this stuff.” Rafael grins up at him and they move on into a large hall.

“Now, what many people don't know is that the White House is actually split into three buildings.” he points back down the hallway where they came in, “There's the East Wing where you guys came in, the West Wing, which houses the Oval and Executive Offices of the President.” he points in front of him to a large set of double doors, “We're about to enter the Residence which is the big part in the middle that got blown up in Independence Day.”

As they all walk towards the doors Alec looks into one of the open doors in the hall. It seems to be a theatre inside and the men he saw earlier are inside, setting up what seems to be sound systems. He watches as a man whispers to another, the person turns and Alec notices that it's actually a woman.

She grins toothily at him “Hey.”

Alec nods at her, something doesn't feel right about them.

“Hey, sir, don't want to leave you behind.” Simon laughs and Alec apologises and follows the rest of the group.

They walk into an even bigger hall than before, with chandeliers, pillars, a grand piano in the middle of the hall because why not?

“The White House is big. Including below ground levels, the White House is six stories tall, with 132 rooms, 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, 8 staircases, 3 elevators and 35 bathrooms. The grounds contain a tennis court, a basketball court, a putting green, a jogging track, and a swimming pool.”

Rafael looks around and raises his hand. “Where's the PEOC?”

“The what?” another member of the tour asks.

“He's referring to the President's Emergency Operations Centre. It's like this really cool bunker behind ten feet of concrete and steel that's capable of surviving a nuclear blast and equipped so the President and his staff could run the country from inside for six months without leaving. Also, for your information young man, it's the only room in the house that no one knows the location to.”

“And hopefully not used by me, I quite enjoy the sunshine.”

The group all turns in shock and awe. “Oh my lord. Mr President.”

Alec's heart stutters as he looks at the man in front of him. He's so much better looking in person than on T.V. He's, he's... _beautiful_. Dressed impeccably, his hair is spiked, with glitter that subtly sparkles in the light, his make-up is beautiful and Alec thinks he's going into cardiac arrest.

“Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.” Rafael is almost hyperventilating.

Alec is brought out of his trance when his son darts forward to the President and he sees his security take a step forward and he tries to grab the back of his son's hoodie but just misses.

“Mister President, is it okay if I ask you a really quick question?” Alec stands silently to his sons side admiring being this close to the most beautiful and most powerful man on the planet.

“Well, I guess that would be alright.” Magnus smiles down at the boy and spikes up his hair, “How do I look? I wasn't prepared for a press conference.”

“You look _really_ good.” Rafael giggles.

“What's your name?” Magnus grins and Alec knows he's died and gone to heaven.

“Rafael Lightwood.”

“Rafael? My P.A is called Raphael, I think it's a great name.” he motions to Raphael who is standing very close to the tour guide, Simon, as they talk quietly. “Go ahead, Rafael.”

“Okay, um, how do you expect all four Downworld groups to agree on the same Upworlder treaty, especially when there is newly erupted conflict between Seelie Court and the Alpha Pack of the Downworld and then also the conflict between the Upworld and the Downworld. Do you think everyone will be able to work together?”

The look on the President's face makes Alec smile, his son is always shocking everyone with how in tune he is with politics, even if Alec doesn't really approve.

Magnus is speechless and he qickly glances up to Raphael and Simon who are gaping at the boy and Magnus raises an eyebrow at them.

“Wow.” Magnus hums, “That's a tough question. To be honest with you, I don't know. Whether they'll agree or not, I'm not sure, but I gotta try. Because the day that we stop believing different people can come together is the day we've given up on the world. I'm not ready to do that just yet.”

Rafael is looking up at the man in awe, Alec thinks it's better than Christmas and is almost a little jealous.

“Alright folks. Have a good day.” He smiles at Rafael again and is about to leave.

“Oh, wait, wait, wait! Mr President. This is my dad Alec. He had an interview for your security detail today.”

Magnus looks up to the man standing beside Rafael and his eyes go wide. He is most certainly beautiful.

“Is that right?” Magnus looks the man up and down and he likes what he sees. Dark hair and amazing hazel eyes.

“Ah, uh, yes sir.” Alec feels like he's going to faint or throw up.

Magnus leans in a little closer, “Well I hope to get to know you, Alexander.”

The way he said Alec's full name has him almost melting onto the floor. Magnus pulls back, “A very intelligent son you have. A pleasure to meet you both.” he turns to the rest of the group. “A pleasure to see you all. Have a good day. Enjoy the rest of my house.” he chuckles and the group chuckles too. Magnus turns and gives Simon a small wave. Raphael gives Simon's hand a squeeze and walks over to the President and they walk away.

Rafael falls back into his dad's chest. “That didn't just happen. I'm dreaming.” Alec chuckles and pinches Rafael gently on the arm.

“Ouch! Papa!” he spins and faces Alec, “Did you hear what he said, I have the same name as his P.A. That's so _cool_!”

“That's my husband.” Alec jumps slightly and turns to see the tour guide Simon, “Sorry?”

“Raphael he's my husband. It's really cool you two share the same name.” Simon gives Rafael a big grin. “Shall we continue?”

“You were checking out that kids dad.” Raphael smirks at Magnus.

Magnus raises a hand to his chest in mock horror, “Raphael! I would never! How could you think that of me.”

Raphael raises one eyebrow at him.

“Was I checking him out?” Magnus turns to his guards.

A series of “No sir.” followed his question and he turned smugly to Raphael. “See. Told you.”

“Dios mio.”

“You couldn't have noticed anything anyway. You were too wrapped up in your husband.”

Raphael rolls his eyes, “It's my job to keep one eye on you at all times.”

“Creepy. But it isn't this afternoon.”

Raphael stares at Magnus, “What?”

“You have the rest of the day off. I know what day it is today and you are clocking off early.”

“Magnus, I-”

“Nope, can't change my mind! One year married? Who would've thought. Now go on, you have a lot of planning to do. Scram.” Magnus grins at the sputtering Raphael.

“Simon will finish this tour and then he will be kicked out too.” Magnus chuckles and makes a shooing motion with his hands, “Shoo, go on.”

Raphael smiles and starts to walk off, one of the guards following him. “Don't forget, you have a meeting in five minutes with the Speaker of the House. Then there's-”

“I will survive without you for one day, Raph!” he blows Raphael a kiss, “Give Simon my love.” smiling as he watches his friend go.

Magnus knows he'll be fine without Raphael, it's just another day at the office.


	2. Chapter 2

Alec stands in front of one of the many paintings in the room. It depicts the White House of fire.

“That's an oil painting by Tom Freeman to commemorate the burning of the White House by the British in 1814.”

Alec frowns, “Wait. The White House burned down?”

“Oh yeah. The war of 1812. Practically had to be rebuilt from the ground up.”

Alec feels a smile tugging at his lips. “You really know your stuff.”

“Well it is my job.” Simon laughs. “I look at this painting and it makes me very emotional.”

Alec feels a poking in his side and turns.

“Dad. I think I need to avail myself in one of the 35 bathrooms in here.”

Simon smiles, “There's a mens room downstairs.”

Alec moves to step forward when Rafael stops him, “I can go by myself dad. Dios mio, I'm not a child.”

“Hey. None of that language please.” Alec scolds him.

Simon laughs, “My husband says that a lot too.”

Rafael turns on his heel to go. “Hey. Just don't touch anything or wander off and no talking to anybody that you shouldn't be talking to.”

Rafael shrugs and walks away, “I make no promises.” he calls over his shoulder.

“He's a delight.” Simon laughs.

Alec smirks, “Oh he's many things.”

Magnus walks down the corridor to the Oval Office, his head of security, Victor Aldertree stands at the door.

“Good morning, Victor.” Magnus smiles and shakes his hand.

“Good morning, sir. The Speaker of the House is on the line for you.”

“Thank you, Victor.” Magnus stops, “I'd like to shake your hand.” he puts out his hand and Victor takes it. “I know that it is your last week here but I wanted to say that I have appreciated everything that you have done for me.”

Victor smiles, “Thank you, sir. It has been my honour.”

Magnus nods and walks inside his office and Victor walks back outside to guard the door.

Magnus leans on the side of his desk and presses a button on the phone stand.

“Good morning, Valentine.”

“Mr. President! I'm impressed with all this Downworlder business you still find time for little old me!”

“I was surprised when I heard that you announced the signing of this treaty with these people in our country before, you know, mentioning it to anyone in Congress.”

Magnus wasn't impressed by his tone. “It is the right thing to do, Valentine. There'll never be a better chance at bringing us together than this, right now.”

“Which would be wonderful sir... if we didn't have just your word for it.”

Before Magnus can reply there is a loud banging sound over the phone. Magnus frowns, picking the phone up and pressing it to his ear. “Valentine? Are you all right?”

A fire alarm starts to blare over the phone, “Sir, I think there's been an explosion.” Valentine gasps.

The door to the Oval Office bangs open and Victor storms in with ten other guards, all with their guns out.

“Mr President, there's been an explosion at the Capitol building.” he takes the phone from Magnus and places it back on the receiver.

“And?”

“I'm crashing the White House.” he raises his wrist and talks into it. “I'm crashing the White House.” he points to the other agents in the room. “Get the CAT team. I want all non essensials evac'd.” he points to the door he came through, “Get that hallway clear in case we have to move. Go! I want Marine One here fast as possible.” Magnus watches as the other agents all bolt the doors and stand guard. One of them steps towards him, “Sir. I have to ask you to step away from the window.”

Magnus is almost in a state of shock. “Right.” he clears his throat and moves towards the middle of the room.

Alec's heart stutters when an alarm begins blaring throughout the White House. His son is the first thing that runs through his mind and he panics and heads towards the doors.

That agent from earlier, Todd, and another agent rush in and tell them all to stay where they are.

“What's happening? My son is downstairs.”

“No one is going anywhere until we lift the crash.”

“He's a little boy.” Alec takes a step forward and agent Todd's grip on his gun tightens.

“Stay back.”

Alec can't believe it and walks back over to Simon, taking out his phone he dials Rafael's phone number.

“Pick up, hijo.”

Rafael was washing his hands and looking around the extravagant bathroom when the alarm sounded over his head and made him jump. He turned off the tap and grabbed a stack paper towels to dry his hands as he walked slowly towards the door.

He frowned as he looked around the now empty hallway. “What the hell?” he slowly walked back the way he came. Taking his phone out of his pocket he saw he had a missed call from his dad, stupid silent. He was looking at his phone as he turned the corner and looked up to see six men come around the corner with guns held high and they shot the four guards in a blink of an eye.

Rafael's legs shook as he backed up and flattened himself to the wall as much as possible. Looking down at his phone he didn't need a phone call right now and turned his phone off and held his breath. Tears stung his eyes as he saw the men all run past him and into an elevator.  
He needed to find his dad. He wanted his dad.

Raphael was sitting in the back of the SUV as Lydia Branwell drove him home, they had been talking about Raphael's plans for tonight when it happened.

They were right beside it. The dome of the Captiol building exploded. It had taken a moment for Raphael to even realise what had happened. Lydia had slammed on the break.

Lydia took her radio from her belt and got out of the vehicle. “Stay here!” she shouted at Raphael, “Victor? Victor?! What the hell is happening?! I'm right outside the Capitol. Do you have the president?”

Her radio crackled, “ _I have eyes on Warlock. Call the WFO and get as many men as you can to the Capitol. I will dispatch everyone I can spare._ ”

She looks back to the now parked SUV, “I have Vampire.”

“ _Take Vampire with you and get to the Capitol, find Pinball.”_ Lydia ran over to the SUV and opened the back door, “Raphael, we need to go now. I have to get to the Capitol. You're my responsibility. You do not leave my hip.”

Raphael nods and he climbs out of the car, he stays right behind Lydia as they run towards the Capitol building. There is a large line of police cars surrounding the area, they both run towards the cars where police are stationed to keep the public back. Lydia runs over to one of the guards showing her I.D. “Secret Service.” she points to Raphael, “He's with me.”

The guard lifts the tape and the two run for the burning building.

They dodge around paramedics carrying out many injured civilians as they make their way inside the Capitol building. Lydia takes out her radio, “Do you have the VP? I repeat do you have the Vice President?”

“ _Yes, we do. We're two minutes away from Andrews.”_

“And the Speaker?”

“ _Negative. We do not have the Speaker.”_

“Lydia! Over here!” Raphael shouts to her as Agent Wayland is escorting a ragged looking Valentine who is bleeding from his forehead.

“Jace!” Lydia runs over and the two Agents escort Raphael and Valentine out of the building.

“We're going to the Pentagon.” Jace tells them and the four head out the side to Jace's SUV.

“I have the Speaker and Vampire. We're going to the secondary location.” Lydia talks into her radio as she closes the door after Raphael.

She hops in the other side and Jace begins to speed through traffic.

“We don't stop for red lights, police and if something gets in the way, drive through it.”

They all grip the handles on the roof as they speed through the streets.

Raphael sits beside on the left beside Valentine and is on his tablet streaming the news. He places it between the three of them and they watch as the Capitol dome collapses.

“Dear God.” Valentine exclaims. “Where's the Director of Homeland Security?”

“He's at the White House.” Raphael answers.

“Deputy Sec?”

Lydia sighs, “Also at the White House.”

Valentine huffs. “Great.”

They pull up outside the Pentagon and Lydia and Jace hop out, quickly escorting Raphael and Valentine inside.

It must be the fifteenth time he's tried to ring Rafael. It's going straight to voicemail every time. He's about to call again when he hears agent Todd's radio crackle, “ _Shot--ired-_ ”

The agent turned away from the room and put the radio closer to his face. “Say again?... Please say again.”

Alec out of habit reaches for his hip only to find his holster empty. “He said shots fired. Look you-”

The agent raises his weapon at Alec. “Stay back!”

Alec puts his arms out, “Stay back? I'm not doing anything and neither are you! You need to get out there and do your job!”

“Stand back!” he shouts at Alec again.

Alec shakes his head in disbelief, “Oh my god.” he walks back over to Simon.

“Hey. I'm sure he's fine. This is the safest house in the world.”

Defeated Alec takes his phone back out in the hopes Rafael turned it back on again. “Not today it's not.” and he dialled the number again.

Rafael waited against the wall for a solid minute before daring to move. His whole body was shaking. Very slowly he peeled himself off the wall and carefully took a peak around the corner. Clear. He let out a sharp breath and inhaled deeply.

“Don't panic. Panic doesn't help anyone.” he whispered to himself.

Letting out his breath he shook himself and turned the corner. Sticking to the left wall he made his way back to the stairs. He held his phone in a death grip as he shakily made his way up the stairs, looking behind him after a few steps just to be sure no one was behind him. As Rafael came to the top of the stairs he peaked around the corner and saw armoured guards all with air rifles, letting out a sigh of relief he stepped forward.

A hail of gunfire burst into his ears and the guards all fell as they were shot. Rafael's eyes widened and he backed around the corner and stayed on the top step out of sight. His breathing was coming out so harshly he thought he was having a panic attack. He needed to be quiet so he covered his mouth with his hand and pinched his nose closed at the same time, he closed his eyes tight and waited a moment, praying they didn't come around the corner.

The gunfire stopped and when Rafael poked his head around the corner he saw men in blue boiler suits picking up the guards weapons and moving their bodies. He recognised them as the men from earlier. He watched them put on masks and walk out the doors outside the White House. Rafael saw the window in front of him with two large curtains. No one was looking his way so he ran across the hallway and behind the curtain, making sure it didn't move too much.

He crouched down as he noticed three vans were coming up the drive to the White House. One of the men got out and took off his mask, Rafael was surprised when it was actually a woman with dark hair. A light bulb went off in Rafael's brain and he quickly turned on his phone and started recording them. He caught a lot of their faces and then turned and put his phone through the curtain so he recorded them all coming into the hall with large boxes, a man in all black was carrying two metal suitcases. He watches as they put on bullet proof vests and take more guns out of boxes.

The video stopped recording when a picture of his dad with whipped cream on his nose popped up on the screen. Rafael gasped in relief and quickly answered.

“Papa?” he whispered.

“ _Oh, hijo, thank God! Are you okay?”_

“I-” Rafael could barely speak around the lump in his throat and his tears started to fall at the sound of his dads voice.

“ _It's gonna be okay baby. I promise.”_

“Where are you?” he sobbed.

“ _Where are you? I'll come get you.”_

Alec couldn't explain his relief when he heard his boy's voice but it was all shattered when the door burst open and a man in tactical gear opened fire on the agents in the room. Everyone screamed and dropped to the floor, Alec grabbed Simon's arm and pulled him down down to the floor.

“Where did you send my son?” Alec doesn't take his eyes off the guy with the gun.

“Downstairs, across the hall, second on the right.” Simon slides over a bit of paper and Alec realises it's a map of the White House and grabs it.

An agent tries to come around the corner but is gunned down, he dropped the gun near Alec's feet and he knows that this is his chance. He leaps up and grabs the gun, covering his head as he sees the bullets hit the wall beside his head. He leaps over a sofa for cover, the man shoots manically into the room. When Alec hears the gunshots fire elsewhere and taking his chance he jumps up and sprints out the door, jerking left he leaps down the stairs.

Magnus stands in the middle of the room. He feels like it's been too long even though it's only been a few minutes.

Victor's radio crackles, _“Castle, this is Hummingbird. We are on final approach.”_

Magnus frowns as no one moves. “What are we waiting for, Victor?”

“Marine One is three minutes out, sir.” One of the other men replies and Magnus nods.

“ _We are taking heavy fire. Castle has fallen. I repeat, the White House is down! Heavy weapons are on the roof._ ”

Everyone in the Oval Office shifts and grip their guns tighter.

“We're going to take him to the PEOC.” Victor points to Magnus.

One of the other agents steps forward, “They're _in_ the damn building, sir.”

“I've got this!”

“Victor we need to-”

“I said, I've got this!” he turns to Magnus, “Mr. President, I get you to the vault then their game is over.”

Magnus looks to the other agents worried face and then back to Victor. “Are you sure you can get me there?”

Victor looked him dead in the eyes, “Yes, sir. I am.”

“Then let's go.”

Victor takes out his gun, “Diamond formation. Stay low, stay close, shoot first. Got it? On me.”

The agents all surround Magnus and they plunge out into the hall and begin to move through the now empty White House.

Alec carefully walks down the stairs, pointing his gun in the doorways making sure there are no other gunmen. “Downstairs, across the hall.” Alec moves across the hall and sees the male sign on the door and walks in.

“Rafi?” He whispers into the room, “Rafael? Where are you?”

All the stalls are empty and he isn't in the room. Alec shakes his head and takes out his phone again and calls his son. He opens the door and his head is almost taken off by a hail of gunfire, he covers his head and backs into the bathroom, he hits the floor and kicks the door closed behind him. He covers his head as the bullets pierce the doors and the walls. The mirrors shatter around him and the shards of glass fall on him. When the bullets stop he hides his gun between his thighs.

A large bald man kicks in the door.

“No, no! Don't shoot! I was just on the tour man!”

“You had a gun!”

Alec waves his hand with the phone and cries out, “Phone! It's my phone man, I'm trying to find my son!”

The man jerks his rifle up, “Get up!” he yells.

Alec opens his legs and fires his weapon into the man's head.

The man falls forward, his finger pulls down the trigger as he falls and Alec has to roll out of the way of the random bullets. Silence fills the bathroom once more and Alec let's out a sigh of relief, looking down at the phone there's a bullet now embedded in the middle of it. “That was too close.”

Anger takes over him as he walks over to the dead body and kicks it. “Think you're tough huh? Fuck you!” Exhaling roughly Alec crouches down and checks the man for any other weapons.

A woman's voice comes through the radio, _“Keep the ground floor clear. Package is on the move.”_

Alec looks up as he watches a group of men pass down the corridor, he rips the rifle out of the man's hand and checks the magazine. He smiles as the magazine is still full.

He grabs the radio and attaches it to his hip as he gets up and peaks his head out the door to make sure the coast is clear and exits the bathroom and he continues to creep through the ground floor.

“Where are you, Raf?”

“ _Miss Belcourt. We're in. I have the package. Ground floor, through the library and down the stairs.”_ Alec takes out the radio and listens.

“ _The library. On my way.”_ The same woman's voice from earlier replies to the man.

Alec frowns and puts the radio back on his hip. Looking to the room on his left he sees a room filled with books and sighs. “Oh... that's the library.” Looking back the way he came he shakes his head and enters the room, “What the hell am I doing?”

“What the hell are you doing?!” a voice echoes from the two metal doors in front of him. Two bookshelves of the library opened up to a secret room.

“That's exactly what I said.” Alec whispers to himself.

“No, Mr. President. The question is, what are you gonna do? Shake my hand again?”

“Is this about Sebastian?” Alec crouches down and looks down, there stands President Bane being held at gunpoint by another man, there are bodies all around them and the doors to the PEOC are wide open. Instinct takes over and he opens fire on the man holding the gun.

The man runs to take cover behind a steel door. “Run, Mr. President! To me! To me!” bullets spark off the walls behind him and he watches the President run up the metal stairs. He holds his hand out and pulls the man behind him and starts to move backwards. Between the entrance and the doors to the library there is a gap in the wall where Alec pushes the President behind him.

“Stay behind me and do as I say.”

“No, complaints here.”

Checking the gun he growls, “Shit. I'm empty.”

“Oh, Victor!” Alec listens as a woman sings as she walks into the library, he can hear other heavier footsteps entering with hers.

The steps get closer and Alec whips around the corner and swings the butt of the rifle into the woman's face and she falls, he barrels into the next man and pushes him against the wall, pushing the man's finger on the trigger to shoot the other man coming in last. Alec swings the gun up and it hits the man in the face and he falls. Alec grabs the President's arm and runs out the room, scooping up the dead man's rifle along the way.

The President moves to run up the stairs but Alec grips his arm tighter, “Not that way. They're up there.”

The two sprint down the hall and Alec skids as he pulls him and the President back behind a pillar as two men appear in front of them, blocking off their route.

The President pulls on Alec's arm and hisses in his ear, “Stairs!”

Alec looks behind him and pushes the President around the corner as he sees the woman couching behind a pillar with her weapon raised. They duck as bullets hail down on them, they run to the end of the hall coming to two sets of stairs, “Where does this lead?”

“ _In the stairwell. Coming your way.”_ the radio plays from his hip. “Oh shi...” he falls back and puts his back against the wall and returns fire.

Magnus frantically presses the button to call the elevator. Alec has to swap between shooting left and right and is very aware he's going to run out of bullets very soon. He briefly glances behind him and sees two shadows of men coming down the stairs towards them.

“Lift's here!” Magnus calls and he runs into the lift hastily pressing the close button and Alec skids across the floor and into the lift.

Taking a quick second to breathe and then he puts himself back into Agent Mode. Looking up he sees a hatch in the roof, taking the butt of his gun he punches it in the hatch and the lid comes off, Alec jumps, grabbing the ledge and climbs on top of the moving elevator. He leans over the hatch to see the president staring up at him.

“Gimme your hand!”

Alec reaches his arm into the lift and grabs his forearm, Magnus grips his arm tightly. He braces his left hand on the roof of the elevator and grunts as he pulls Magnus up through the hatch. Magnus kneels beside Alec panting as Alec takes the lid of the hatch and covers it again.

The elevator dings and the doors open and they can just make out some shadows and barrels of guns.

“You screwed me over, Victor!” They hear the woman screach. “Still got one of your guys running around.”

Alec looks to Magnus who is trying to steady his breathing.

They can hear yelling and then the woman and Victor get in the elevator.

“You don't talk to me like that in front of my men.” The woman sneers.

“Oh I don't huh?” Victor scoffs and the woman pushes him against the wall.

“No you don't! He just killed on of my best guys, knew him for ten years. This will not go unanswered.”

Victor pushes her off him, “Drop the act, Camille. We're in this together now, so keep your pretty little head calm and find him.”

“I plan to. When I do, I'm going to slit his throat and watch the blood pour from him.” The lift stops and the two get out.

It isn't until the doors close again that the two finally breathe again.

“Are you okay, sir?” Alec whispers.

“I'm fine. You were the one being shot at, are you okay?”

Alec smiles and nods, “Fine.”

“I don't believe we were formally introduced, Alexander. I'm Magnus Bane.” Magnus puts out his hand and Alec takes it.

“Alec.”

“What about your son, Rafael, where is he?”

Alec's smile falters, “I couldn't find him. God I hope he got out.” he glances up at the beautiful man. “Do you know these guys?”

“That man you saved me from. His name is Victor Aldertree. He's also the head of my Secret Service.” Magnus sighs.

Alec scoffs as Lydia's words from earlier come into his head. “Maybe you should have a word with him on how serious you take the Secret Service.”

Magnus frowns and looks at him, Alec shakes his head. “Why is he doing this?”

Magnus swallows, “I think it has something to do with his son, Sebastian. He got killed last year by a Downworlder in the riots.”

Alec shakes his head, “He said he wanted you alive. If this was a personal vendetta he would've killed you by now.”

Magnus snorts “Oh. Well isn't that reassuring.”


	3. Chapter 3

Lydia, Jace, Raphael and Valentine all walk into the Pentagon building. There stands a uniformed man.

“Mr Speaker, I'm General Lightwood, if you would all follow me please.”

Jace looks up at the name and recognises it as Robert Lightwood. Alec's dad. Not the nicest of guys.

“Have the Nuclear Launch codes been switched?” Valentine asks.

“Yes and the new codes are active.”

“What do we know?”

“At 9.17am an explosive device was detonated at the Capitol. We now have reason to believe it was a diversion.”

Raphael frowns, “A diversion from what?”

“An armed paramilitary team has taken over the White House.” Robert tells them. He leads the group into a large War Room as such. There are many uniformed workers on computers, a large table in the middle and a large screen at the back of the room.

“Do we have the President?” Valentine sputters.

Lydia turns to him, “I spoke to Victor Aldertree fifteen minutes ago. He had eyes on Warlock.”

“Fifteen minutes is a lifetime. Radio chatter indicated they were headed for the PEOC. We haven't been able to make contact and we have to assume they have been compromised.”

“There was a tour group too.” Raphael tells the General.

“Then this is now a hostage situation as well.”

Raphael's heart stutters as he thinks of Simon and Magnus. Simon wouldn't have finished his tour so he must still be inside. He has no idea if his husband or his best friend is even still alive.

Lydia touches his arm and gives him a sympathetic smile.

“Sir! We have the Vice President.” someone calls. The group walks over to the large screen as the Vice President and his secretary Andrew Underhill come on screen, seated in Air Force One.

“Oh Raj. Thank God. Are you okay?” Valentine sighs.

“ _Fine, fine. Who's in command on the ground?”_

“Permission to speak freely?” General Lightwood asks.

“ _Granted.”_ Raj waves his hand.

“It's a shit-show. DC police is on the scene. FBI us trying to run it, plus Secret Service feels it should be their show entirely.”

“It should.” Lydia stares at him. “Lydia Branwell, Secret Service.” she turns to the screen, “Mr Vice President it was our building that was taken.”

“Yes. And now you're standing in _our_ building.” Lightwood sneers at her.

“ _Well what we need to do is get the army in there and take the White House back.”_ Raj tells them.

“Ah, I don't think you can do that. Raphael Santiago. The President's PA.” Raphael steps forward and introduced himself, “Posse Comitatus and the Insurrection Act makes it illegal to deploy American troops on American soil.”

“We know. Which is why we federalised the National Guard ten minutes ago.” Lightwood pipes up again.

“And with respect, _sir_ , only the President can do that.” Raphael shoots back.

Valentine waves his hands at Lydia and Raphael to tell them to calm down, “Raj, we're in a constitutional crisis. We've never had a missing chief executive before.”

“ _Well, then we need to start talking about invoking the 25 th Amendment.”_

Raphael raises an eyebrow, “You want to remove the President from power, sir?”

“I _don't want to do anything. But we can't just sit here and let the government come crashing down around us.”_

“Well... we've tried them on the phone by now right?” Jace asks.

“Who?” questions Lightwood.

Lydia rolls her eyes and walks over to the nearest phone and dials the number to the PEOC.

“What are you doing?” Lightwood walks over.

“Calling the White House.”

Lydia puts it on speaker and the entire war room is silent as the phone rings.

“ _Hello...?”_ a tentative voice is heard over the phone.

“This is Secret Service Agent Lydia Branwell. To whom am I speaking?”

“ _Ooh... that sounds official. Please hold, you're call is very important to us.”_

Classical music begins to blare through the speakers and Lydia looks around to see everyone's confused faces.

“ _Thank you for holding. I'll patch you through to my supervisor. Have a great day.”_

Raphael frowns and walks over to Lydia as the phone connects to another line.

“Hello. This is Lydia Branwell, who is this?”

“ _It's me, Lydia. You should've called already.”_

“Victor?” Raphael cries.

“ _And Raphael. You know we've had the building for almost twenty minutes. I'm quite disappointed.”_

“We?!” Lydia frowns and can barely speak through her confusion.

“ _I'm sure you're recording this so I'll just make this easy on everybody. My name is Victor Aldertree. Chief of the Presidential Detail of the United States' Secret Service. My men currently control the White House and the sixty one hostages within.”_

“Victor... what are you doing?” Lydia's voice his quiet.

“ _You know, I gave you the courtesy of taking Raphael home so you wouldn't be here. So let's just keep this professional. Okay?”_

“Professional?! You killed your own men!” Lydia scoffs. “Look... I want you to-”

“ _There isn't a single thing you can say to me that I didn't teach you, Lydia. So we're going to get all of this done in two hours and be done by lunch, okay? Now ask me what I want?”_

Lydia hangs her head, “What do you want?”

“ _The following Upworlder prisoners are to be released. Sebastian Verlac, Jordan Kyle, Trevor Hayes and Lilith Hopkins.”_

“We can't just-”

“ _I won't repeat myself Lydia. Now, after that, on any given day the United States Federal reserve holds an amount of four hundred million dollars in cash. I want the prisoners and the money loaded aboard Boeing C-17. Which you will leave fueled and otherwise empty on runway one-niner.”_

Lydia stands in anger, “I'd like to know how you plan on getting from the White House to Reagan National without being killed.”

“ _I have eyes in the sky, Lydia. And if I see a single sniper within ten miles of this place I will kill four cabinet members and every hostage in here, which includes your husband Raphael.”_

Raphael begins to shake with rage, but the threat means that Simon is alive.

“Is President Bane alive?” he growls.

There's a pause as the whole room is silent waiting for the reply.

“ _Yes.”_

Raphael leans on the table, “I want proof of life.”

“ _You have two hours, or I will execute him myself on the South Lawn of the White House.”_

The line goes dead as the phone call was disconnected.

The Vice President sighs, _“Jesus, the head of his own detail.”_

“At least we know how they got in so easily.” Lightwood addresses the Vice President. “The question is can we be sure he's the only secret service member who's been compromised.”

Raphael sneers at him, “Oh, go to hell.” Jace walks over and places a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, come on.” Jace pulls him back and they walk out of the room, Jace turns to a random person, “Where can we get a coffee in this place?” the two walk out as an officer leads them to hallway with vending machines and a coffee machine.

Raphael sits on one of the chairs and puts his head in his hands. Running them down his face he looks at his wedding band, tears welling up in his eyes.

“Hey.” Jace puts a coffee cup in his face. Raphael takes it, taking a sip he sighs. “Look. They're alive. You need to focus on that.”

Raphael nods and takes out his phone, pressing the lock button he sees his wallpaper, a picture of him and Simon on the day they got married. Jace was right. His husband was alive and he needed to focus on that.

Rafael was shaking violently as he peeked around the curtain again. He had been trying to call his dad and it didn't even ring any more. Maybe his phone died? Rafael didn't know. But he did know that he can't stay behind this curtain forever. He took a deep breath and decided he would be brave like his papa is. Seeing the coast is clear he crawled across the hall, standing up he put his back to the wall and shimmied all the way to behind a set of double doors. Inside the big hall there were boxes and boxes of stuff that the men brought in.

He could hear a really loud man and looked over to see a man with a gun in each hand, a rifle wrapped around him and a vest full of grenades.

While his back was turned and no one else was around Rafael skidded across the hall behind the grand piano. He brought out his phone again and began videoing them. The really loud man was welcoming some scared looking adults.

The man laughs as he points his gun at the already scared adults, “Ah, latecomers. It's the Secretary of Homeland Security himself! You're so getting fired for this my man.” he pushes the man into the room. Closing the door behind him. Then the doors open and the man pokes his head back out again and Rafael ducks.

His breathing getting heavier he waits a few seconds and then pokes his head back up again. Only for the crazy gun man to be looking right at him. Rafael started skidding back the way he came, after he got around the corner he looked at a large storage cupboard in front of him and he ran inside. There was a key in the lock so he turned it. Turning around he noticed a gap between the wall and a sink so he slid down and took out his phone.

Quickly he went onto YouTube and clicked 'upload' selecting the two most recent videos. He almost dropped his phone multiple times because his hands were shaking that much. He could hear the heavy footsteps outside the door. The two videos began to upload.

“Diomio. Go faster!” he hissed at his phone.

“Playing hide and seek, little boy?”

Rafael gasped at the voice right on the other side of that door.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are.” Rafael checked the phone as it was now on 50%.

“Well. I will huff and I will puff and I will blow your house down.”

Rafael slowly walked over to the door and unlocked it. He gasped as it was ripped open and the crazy man grabbed his arm.

“Sueltame! Pendejo! Let go of me!” Rafael shouted at him as the man dragged him back into the Blue Room. He threw Rafael onto the ground in the middle of the room.

“Sit there you little mutt.”

He jumped as he felt hands on his shoulders and turned to see Simon.

“Are you okay?” Simon was looking at him for any injuries.

“I'm fine.” Rafael wiped the tears off his cheeks and looked around before whipping back around to Simon. “Where's my dad?!” he hissed.

Simon sighed, “He went looking for you.”

Rafael's heart almost stopped. His dad could be anywhere right now.

Simon wrapped his arm around Rafael. “It's going to be fine.” he whispered in the boys ear.

Magnus stands and stretches inside the elevator shaft. Alec is still crouching down and looking through the small holes in the hatch to see if anyone is coming.

“We need to get you to a phone.” they aren't whispering but they talk very quietly. “They'll need to know you're alive and come in and get you.”

Magnus looks down at him thinking, “Oh, we keep a scramble phone in the Residence.”

Alec sighs in relief, “Great, where's that?”

Magnus winces and points up to the doors a floor up.

“Of course it is.” he stands and takes off his blazer. “Ever been rock climbing?”

“Yes actually.” Magnus smiles and Alec smiles back.

“Great. Follow me.” Alec moves to the edge of the shaft and tests the pipe with the back of his hand before he grabs onto it. Magnus frowns and looks at him questioningly. “Well I don't want you to get scalded.” Alec looks at Magnus for a beat before clearing his throat and grips the pipe. He pulls himself up and grabs onto a metal rung, keeping his feet balanced against the brick wall.

“Oh I am right behind you.” Alec knows he imagined Magnus saying it in a sultry way. “Whatever you do. I'll do.”

Alec comes up to the doors and turns slightly, putting his left foot on the ledge of the doors he takes a deep breath and pushes off the pipe, then pushes off his leg and successfully grips the metal rung on the opposite side of the shaft where there was a metal grate.

“I ain't doing that shit.”

Alec huffs out a laugh, “Okay grip the pipe with your right hand, now, don't do it yet, but you want to push off the wall with your left hand so that you turn and you want to plant your left foot on this ledge here.” Alec points to the ledge he just used to jump and Magnus looks over and then looks down.

“Hey, hey. Don't look down. Look at me.” Magnus' panicked eyes met Alec's calm ones, “I won't let you fall, sir.”

“Magnus. Call me, Magnus.”

“Okay, Magnus. I'll be right here, you can do this.” Alec shuffles over to leave space for Magnus and then wraps his right arm around a metal rung as he leans out and reaches out his left hand.

Magnus takes a deep breath and then does exactly what Alec told him. His foot slipped off the ledge when he moved to jump but Alec caught his hand and pulled him over, Magnus put his foot on the rung below him and let out a gasp.

“I got you, it's okay. You did great.” Alec grinned at him. They were in very close proximity now.

The crackle of a radio made them look out the grate. They watch as two armed men walk up the stairs with their weapons ready as they sweep the building looking for the two of them.

The cables start to move and the elevator starts to come towards them.

“Ah.” Magnus quietly steps onto the roof and Alec follows. Magnus kicks something and they both tense as they crouch down. Alec can see in as a guy has his weapon raised and is looking at the roof of the elevator.  
Alec looks up and sees where the lift is going to stop and they will most definitely get crushed. He reaches over and pulls Magnus down as quietly as he can, Alec now lies on his front and Magnus is on his back. Magnus looks up and the roof and quickly takes off his shoe and lines it up with the cable gears, when he's close enough he shoves the shoe into the moving gears and the shoe gets stuck causing the gears to stop and the lift to stop moving.

Alec lets out a quiet sigh of relief and Magnus winks at him.

Looking through the elevator, he watches as two men begin unloading huge containers.

Alec's eyes widen as he whispers, “Jesus, they have Javelins.”

“What's that?”

“Surface-to-air missiles, if anyone comes by air they're done for.”

They wait in silence as the men unload the elevator.

When the last missile is taken out Alec turns his head to Magnus, “So wait. You said Victor's son died?”

“Victor's ex-wife is from the Downworld, during the riots Sebastian had been sent in to be peacemaker. A militant group found out who he was and killed him.”

“So this is all a personal vendetta because you now want to make peace with the people who killed his son?”

Magnus shrugged, “Obviously he's not doing this alone.”

“How'd you know that?”

Magnus raised one eyebrow, “There's an entire team of well trained men with guns running around my house wanting me dead. He couldn't have hatched this plan all by himself and there's plenty of people who don't agree with my peace treaty.”

A guy steps into the lift and reaches round to hit the buttons. “That's everything. Lift going back down to one.”

As the gears move in the other direction, the shoe sparks and falls out of the gears as the elevator begins it's descent.

“Get off at the second floor.” Alec grabs onto a rung they were on earlier.

“What?”

“Quickly!” Alec hisses and Magnus grabs the bar below him, now facing the grate.

“See anybody?”

Magnus shakes his head, “No, we're clear.”

Alec then kicks the grate a few times until it flies of the wall with a clatter. He then slides through the grate feet first and quickly takes out the gun from his holster that he had grabbed earlier looks around for any other bad guys. He crouches down to the grate, “You're good, come on.” Magnus climbs through and Alec grabs his hand to pull him out.

“Stay on my hip, Magnus.” They climb up the set of stairs and begin to make their way into where Magnus' personal quarters are. Alec takes a look around, fluffy carpet, plush furniture and thankfully completely empty. Alec checks the magazine and curses, “Only have three bullets.” He turns his head towards Magnus, “Keep any weapons in here?”

“There's usually two dress marines with rifles standing outside the door, so no, I didn't see the need.” Magnus snarks back.

“Knives?”

“Kitchen. Through there.” Magnus points to the door on the left Alec moves in, “Clear.” and he makes his way over to the knife block. Grabbing the two biggest ones he tucks one securely in his holster and the other he keeps in hand.

“Have you done this before?” Magnus asks.

“Oh sure, this is like my third White House terrorist take-over attack this month.”

Magnus chuckles as he realises how stupid his question was.

“Where's the phone?”

“Oh, yeah. Bedroom.” Magnus goes to move first but Alec pulls him back.

“Ah ah. Guy with the gun goes first.”

“Beauty before grace it is then.” Magnus winks.

They go into the bedroom and Alec is stunned. There are gorgeous gold silk sheets on the large bed in the middle of the room, a large walk in closet and a large dressing table with a lot of make-up products on it. Magnus disappears into the walk in closet mumbling something about shoes while Alec stares at all the products with a frown. How does anyone know what to do with this stuff? He lifts up a black pencil thing and twirls it in his fingers.

“Do I need to do a re-application?” Magnus smirks at him.

“Ah..uh no. I think you look great the way you are.” Alec stumbles and blushes.

Magnus doesn't comment and comes over with a smartphone and places it in Alec's hand with the screen pointing down, Alec looks down at a glittery phone case with the words 'Freewheeling Bisexual' on the back and Alec definitely knows that was on purpose.

“So... who do we call?” Magnus asks

“They didn't give you a special Presidential dial-in number in case of emergencies?”

“No, they told me my Secret Service protection would handle it.”

Alec holds back a laugh, “That's okay. I got someone.” Alec dials in the familiar number and hits call.

Bringing the phone to his ear he waits as it rings.

“ _Hello?”_

“Andrew! It's Alec I-”

“ _Alec? Really not a good time.”_

There's a click and Alec takes the phone from his ear, “What a dick.”

“Friend of yours?” Magnus sits on the bed and Alec thinks it's a crime someone can look that good sitting on a bed.

“He-ah- works for the VP.” he redials the number.

“ _Alec-”_

“Andrew shut up! I'm with the President. I'm in the White House.”

“ _Alec, it's great you got your sense of humour going but that's not funny.”_

Alec groans in frustration. Magnus rolls his eyes and gets up and snatches the phone off Alec.

“Andrew? Hello, this is Magnus Bane. Listen, I've just spent the last ten minutes getting shot at with this man, so if you could connect me to whatever command structure we have left I'd _really_ appreciate it.”

“ _I-uh. Yes, sir.”_

“Your good friend just put me on hold.” Magnus scowls which Alec finds adorable.

Raphael stands beside Jace in the war room. He was glad that Jace had taken him for that coffee or he may have said or did something to get him kicked out or arrested. They were standing listening to the Vice President talking when the doors behind Raj burst open and a man ran in.

“Andrew I said-”

The man was out of breath, “Not to be disturbed but the President of the United States just call my cell!”

“Can we get it here?” General Lightwood asked one of his employees. They ran to a computer and got Andrew's number and patched themselves into the call.

“Mr. President are you alright?”

“ _We're safe.”_ Came Magnus' reply. Raphael let out a sigh of relief.

“We?”

“ _Yes. I'm with someone I'll put him on the phone now.”_

“ _Hello sir, this is Alec Lightwood.”_

Lydia, Jace, Valentine sucked in a breath and the General scowled.

“Alec?” Lydia asked.

“Alec, what are you doing there?” Valentine asked.

“ _He's doing a fine job at keeping me alive is what he's doing.”_ There's a muffled sound almost as if the two are fighting over the phone.

“ _It's a long story sir. They've taken the building and they have hostages. Now this is supposed to be the part where you come in and get us right?”_ Alec's voice filters over the speakers.

“We're doing our best.” Valentine tells him.

“ _Is there any intel on these people?”_ Magnus asks.

“We're working on that, sir.” the General speaks up.

There's a pause.

“ _Robert?”_

“Alec.”

There's a huff on the other end of the line and a quiet curse.

“In the meantime you need to get the President out of there.” Valentine rubs his forehead.

“How are they supposed to do that?” The Vice President asks.

Raphael steps forward, “Can you get to the basement?”

“ _Raph?!”_ Magnus shouts in delight. _“Shh, Yea we can.”_ They hear Alec shush the President.

“There's a series of tunnels, JFK used them to sneak Marilyn in.” Raphael explains.

“ _I thought that was a myth...”_

“It's true.”

There's a laugh on the other end, _“Simon is going to be pissed.”_

Raphael smiles at that. His husband will definitely throw a fit once he finds out that the tunnels are real.

“Oh, I know. But if you get to the basement I can lead you to the tunnels.”

“ _Okay. Lydia, listen. I got separated from my son. Can you tell me if he got out or not?”_

Roberts knuckles whitened, “You _lost_ my grandson?”

“ _I don't remember asking you, Robert.”_

Lydia stepped forward, “I will check. But you have to get the President to safety okay?”

There's a beat of silence and then the call disconnects.

“Alec? Alec?” Lydia looks to the guy that patched in the call, “Can you get him back?”

Alec disconnected the call as he looked in the mirror and saw two men that were coming around the corner. He grabbed Magnus and dragged him into the walk in closet. He pushed Magnus behind him and gave him the phone then raised his gun. As one man came around the corner Alec shot him twice and he fell. He ran for the other man while taking the knife out of the holster, he sliced the man in the arm and he dropped his gun before throwing Alec over the bed. Alec scrambled up and out the door with the man following leaving Magnus in the bedroom.

The man grabbed Alec and tossed him across a large dining table, Alec slid through all the ornaments sitting on the table before crashing to the ground with a grunt. He quickly got up and ran into the kitchen as the man started shooting at him with a glock. He jumped over the island in the middle of the kitchen and finally shots stopped as the man had to change the magazine. Alec stood up and grabbed the toaster and threw it at the man, stumbling him before tackling him.

The other man got the best of Alec and put him in a choke hold.

Magnus then ran in with a rifle in his hand. As Alec struggled he quickly pushed back giving Magnus a clear shot.

“Shoot him!” he cried.

The man then tightened his arms around Alec's neck and brought him back to his chest.

“No! Don't shoot him!” Alec yelled again.

Alec pushed himself backwards flinging the man into the counter behind them. The hold on Alec lessened slightly which was all Alec needed as he head butted the man and got away.

“Shoot him!”

Magnus opened fire and shot the man many, many, many times.

Alec breathes heavily through his nose as silence filled the kitchen again. Magnus stumbled closer and Alec gently pried the gun away from his hands.

“You okay?”

“You were the one flung through my dining room and kitchen. Are you okay?”

Alec nodded and saw Magnus staring at the dead man. He touched Magnus' shoulder, “Hey. Don't. He would've killed me if you hadn't.”

Magnus gasped as he looked at Alec's hands he took Alec's left hand and looked at his palm. There was a huge slice that was bleeding quite heavily. Looking at Alec he frowned, his shirt was ripped to shreds and he was bleeding in other places.

“Sit.” Magnus ordered.

“Magnus I-”

“Sit.” Magnus glared at him and Alec shut his mouth and sat on the only chair still sitting upright.

Magnus went into a cabinet and lifted out a first aid box.

“You're going to need to take your shirt off.”

Alec's mouth opened and he began to stutter. “Eh. Uh. Wh-Why?”

Magnus crouched down in front of him, “So I can see if you're badly hurt, stupid.”

Alec nodded and he unbuttoned his shirt and slid it off.

Magnus took Alec's palm and began disinfecting it.

“You had me take my shirt off so you could heal my hand?” Alec gasped in pain.

Magnus smirked, “You caught me.” He took out a bandage and wrapped it securely around Alec's hand, not wanting it too tight that it restricts his movement.

“By any chance do you have another shirt?” Alec blushes.

“Honestly, you don't have to get all dressed up for me.”

Alec gives him a non-heated glare.

“Oh alright. But I liked what I saw.” Magnus' eyes sparkled with mischief as he went into the closet and came back with a regular black t-shirt.

“This one should fit.” Magnus threw it at Alec who caught it and pulled it on. Then he held up a string of grenades, “Look what else I found.”

“You just keep those lying around?” Alec smirked at him.

Alec bent down and took the vest off the dead guy. “Thanks, asshole.” he put it on and secured it. Taking the mans weapons he holsters a glock and takes the mans thigh holster which had a knife in it. Then he took the grenades and buckled them around his waist.

Magnus took out the phone from his pocket and handed it back to Alec who redialled the number.

“ _Mr. President are you okay?”_

Magnus made eye contact with Alec, “Define okay.”

“ _What happened, Alec?”_

“We got two dead bad guys up here. That's what happened. These guys have military training, Lydia you need to find out what the hell they're doing here.”

“ _Aldertree has demanded the release of Upworlders in jail and a ransom.”_

Alec and Magnus frown. “Why?”

Jace's voice comes over muffled, _“Guys. You need to see this.”_

“ _One moment, Alec.”_

Alec was checking over his pockets when Lydia's voice came back. _“Alec, can you turn on the news?”_

Magnus nodded and walked over to the T.V and turned on the news channel.

“Lydia, you need to figure out how Victor found these guys.”

“ _Okay but Alec... turn on the news.”_

“Why what's going on?”

“ _I'm so sorry.”_

Alec feels like he's just been punched in the gut as he sees his son's face plastered on the news channel.

“ _What you are seeing is amazing first hand footage coming from inside the White House. These images were captured by a very brave young boy by the name of Rafael Lightwood.”_

“Raf.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so, so, so, so, so sorry!  
> At first I had taken a small break from writing everyday and then I fell really ill so I couldn't write anything.  
> This chapter might be a bit rushed... but hopefully it is still okay!  
> Hope you all haven't given up on me!  
> xx

Alec and Magnus were frozen as they watched the news. Rafael had recorded all of the groups faces and had uploaded them to YouTube. Alec's mind began to wonder, what if they saw this? They could hurt his son or worse.

He could barely breathe and Magnus became a blurry shape.

“-ec? Alexander!” Magnus shook him by the straps on his vest. Alec's eyes cleared and he looked into the deep brown eyes of Magnus Bane.

“We're all walking out of here together. Right?”

Alec nodded, “I need to get him.”

“ _Alec. You need to get the President out first.”_ Lydia tells him.

“You want me to abandon my son?”

“ _I want you to do as you're told for once!_ ” Robert sneers over the phone.

“In case you forgot, Robert. I don't work for you.” Alec growls and hangs up the phone.

Magnus shrugs, “I don't get along with my father either.”

Alec snorts. “Not getting along is an understatement.” he takes a deep breath, “Let's get you to the basement.”

The radio on the kitchen island comes to life, _“Camille, Magnus has a personal cellphone in his quarters in the Residence. See if it's still there.”_

“Oh, shit.”

With no way of knowing which way they will be coming the two felt trapped. Magnus eyed up the dumb waiter in the corner and slapped Alec on the chest and pointed to it.

“You're a genius. Where does it lead?”

“Kitchen, a floor down.”  
Alec smiled and went over to lift the door up. Looking inside it there was a button to go up and he pushed it. As the shaft was now clear he grabbed onto the cable and pulled himself into the small space. He turned and saw rungs almost like a ladder and thanked the angel for their luck and he began to climb down.  
Magnus came in behind him and closed the door but quickly told Alec to stop. Alec looked up and frowned but Alec pointed behind the door and Alec understood that they were now out there and they waited. He could hear muffled talking but couldn't make anything out.  
Magnus looked through the window of the door and saw the woman, who must be Camille look furious as she stomped out of his kitchen. Victor stayed behind and was looking at something, when Magnus followed his gaze he realised they left the T.V on. He cursed mentally as they would just have to stay there until Victor left.

Rafael was sitting on the carpet next to Simon in the Blue Room. He was worried about where his dad was and also hoping that someone saw the videos and gave them to the police or whoever. He watched the crazy gun guy bring a chair over for a crying news reporter. Rafael recognised him, this was Mr Roger Skinner. He never had anything good to say about President Bane or people from the Downworld. Rafael was considered scum to people like him so it brought him little satisfaction to see him crying like a baby.

The doors burst open and some other hostages screamed as a woman walked in with a furious look on her face and when her eyes met Rafael's he knew he was in _big_ trouble.

Camille stalked over to him like a lion. She stood in front of him, sneering. Rafael whimpered as his head snapped to the side as the woman slapped him. He could feel where her nails scratched his skin and his cheek now stung like crazy.

“Hey, psycho!” Simon shouted from beside the boy.

Camille pulled out a gun and had it pressed against Simon's forehead, staring at him, daring him to continue.

Rafael didn't think she looked human when her eyes snapped back to him again and she then pointed the gun at his own head.

“Give it to me.” she ordered and held out a well manicured hand.

Rafael's breathing got heavy as he stared down the barrel of the gun. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat as he dug his phone out of his pocket. She snatched it and stood up, she threw the phone on the floor and then shot it, making everyone in the room jump and some scream.

“I hate children.” she sneered, she knelt back down and dug her fingernails into Rafael's head, who gasped in pain, as she pulled his hair. “When they come for us. You're gonna die first.” She smiled.

“Aléjese de mí.” Rafael breathed out.

Camille growled and let go of his hair, pushing him to the ground as she got up and stormed out.

Simon crawled over to him and pulled him up into a hug. “It's okay. You're okay.” Simon rubbed at Rafael's scalp to sooth where Camille had dug her nails into him, trying to do everything to soothe the boy.

General Lightwood came back to the screen and looked to the Vice President. “Sir, we have facial recognition coming through.”

A guy came up with an tablet in hand and sent the information to the screen as Raphael, Jace, Lydia and Valentine all stood around looking as the crazy gun guy came on screen.  
“Carl Killick. Upworlder and sociopath. First arrested at age 12, tried to burn down his local post office because they employed too many Downworlders. Was last seen on the street with Brad Cern.”

Another man's face popped up on screen and Jace stepped forward, “I saw that man at the Capitol this morning.”

“He runs a white-power hate blog against President Bane.” the man continues.

Valentine sneered at the pictures, “Lovely.”

Raphael's eyes widen at the next photo, “Skip Tyler.”

The man kept reading off the tablet, “King of the hackers. Worked for the NSA, was fired for rewriting nuclear launch coordinates to target a Downworlder run Chinese restaurant. Apparently he wasn't happy with their menu choices.”

Lydia stares at the screen, “Victor was after this guy forever.”

Next a picture came up of a woman, “Camille Belcourt, ex-Delta Force.”

Lightwood sighs, “I'm afraid we know her too.”

“How?” Raphael asks.

“That's classified.”

Valentine turns to him, “Well I de-classify, now would you like to share with the group?”

Lightwood scowls, “Camille did off the books wetwork for us in the Downworld.”

“You had her assassinate Downworlders?” Raphael growled.

Lightwood ignored him and continued, “Camille infiltrated a radical Downworlder group as part of a black bag operation. When the Bane administration came in, the new Secretary of Defence shut down the operation and disavowed its assets. Camille's identity was compromised and the group held her prisoner for two years.”

“Well, no wonder she hates us.” Valentine says to no one in particular.

Lydia narrows her eyes as she realises, “It's the threat matrix.” Turning to the rest of the group she explains, “Everyday the Secret Service does a rundown of credible threats against the President and every single one of them was on it.”

Jace raised an eyebrow, “Aldertree used it as his own buy-a-bad-guy?”

“Basically yes.”

Another uniformed man came over to General Lightwood.

“Sir, Delta Force is fifteen minuted out.”

The Vice President sat forward. _“General, I want them prepped for an attack on the White House as soon as I give the word.”_

Valentine took a step towards the screen, “Sir, please. Please! Only the President can give that order.”

“ _The President is behind enemy lines and compromised. Now I am calling the Cabinet to invoke the 25 th. Get behind this Valentine.”_

Lydia, Jace and Raphael all look to each other with pained expressions. They had to hope Alec would protect the President.

Magnus looked through the window as Victor finally walked out of the room. He mentally counted a few seconds before he motioned to Alec that it was okay to move. Alec nodded in response and carefully began to make his way down the cramped shaft.  
Alec looked out the window out into the kitchen, the coast is clear so Alec opened the hatch and slid out. Taking out his gun he prepared himself as he cleared the kitchen. Magnus stood close behind him and then Alec made his way out into the hallway. Checking both directions. Clear.

“Which way to the basement?” he whispers to Magnus.

“Down this corridor, to the left.”

They make their way down the stairs and come to a large gate with a keypad.

“You know the code?”

Magnus shrugs, “Nope.”

Alec sighs and rings Lydia back.

“ _Alec. What's your position?”_

“We're in the basement. We need a code for the first gate.” Alec looks behind him to keep checking they're alone.

“ _Lydia. Let me. I know that place like the back of my hand.”_ Raphael's voice comes over the line.

“ _Basement entrance is 64762.”_

“Alright we're in.”

“ _Alright. Go down the hallway to your right. That's the entrance to the catacombs.”_

“Are you sure?” questions Alec.

“ _Why do you think Simon knows as much as he does?_ ” They can feel Raphael's smirk coming over the line and Alec's lips raise in a small smile.

“ _You should be in a large oval room. There's five tunnels, take the second on the right and follow it all the way out and we will be waiting for you.”_

“Thank you, Raphael.”

As Magnus goes to leave Alec calls out, “Mr President.” he knows he's being listened to so he uses Magnus' title. Magnus turns to him and Alec hands him over a gun. “I can't go with you, sir.”

Magnus grabs the phone, “Give us a second.” and mutes his side.

“What the hell do you mean, Alexander?”

“I'm not leaving my boy in there.” Alec tells him.

Magnus takes a step forward, “Then I'm staying with you.”

Alec steps forward too, now towering over Magnus. “Oh no you're not, Magnus. You have to go back to being President or all of this will have been for nothing.”

Magnus puts his hand on Alec's arm, the warmth coming off his smooth skin is not lost on him. “You can't do this by yourself.”

Alec holsters his gun and places both hands on Magnus' shoulders. “That's why you're going to go out there, change a few laws, and have the marines come in here and get us.”

Magnus nods, “You have my word.”

Neither of them want to pull away from each other but Alec steps back first. Magnus turns and begins to walk away but spins back and struts up to Alec and kisses him on the cheek.

“After this is over, we should get a drink sometime.”

Alec blushes and grins, “Oh, uh. Yea that would be nice.”

Magnus winks at him and turns to walk out the tunnel.

Alec unmutes the call, “The President is on his way out.”

There is a sigh of relief coming through the line.

Alec checks his gun and reloads it, “Now, Raphael. Tell me how to get up to the Blue Room.”

“Alexander!”

Alec's head whips up as he hears Magnus call out to him.

“Hold on.” he runs through the tunnel but doesn't get far before he comes up behind Magnus who is staring at a large gate that's wired with C4.

“Oh. That is something we definitely do not want to touch.” Alec points out as he unconsciously places himself between the C4 and Magnus.

“Raphael. We've got a problem. The tunnel is wired with explosives. We need another way out.”

“ _Uh... there isn't another way out.”_

They both freeze as they hear gunfire not far away from where they are.

“Oh this is not happening.” Alec looks to Magnus, “We need to go.” They both sprint out of the tunnel and back the way they came. “Raphael, where are we going?”

“ _Hold on.”_

“I can't hold on!”

As they turn the corner Alec skids backwards and pulls Magnus behind him as he nearly gets his head shot off.

“ _Stagecoach! Go back towards the tunnel and turn right!”_

He pushes Magnus in front of him as the two sprint down the corridor. They turn left and continue to run and Alec can hear the group behind him. There's a turn to the left where the door to the stagecoach is.

“ _Alec, if you don't get him out in five minutes he might not be the President any more.”_ Lydia shouts down the phone.

“I'm trying my best. You didn't give me the job remember!” he shouts back at her.

Alec returns fire on the group as Magnus tries the door.

“Alexander! The phone!”

Alec throws the phone to Magnus as he continues to fire back.

“Hey, Raph. What's the code to D.227?!”

The rifle is empty and Alec takes out the glock, he can barely see as he fires back at them.

“Alec! Let's go!”

Alec starts walking backwards and through the door as Magnus slams it behind him. Magnus runs over to grab the keys as Alec kneels down and changes the magazine on the rifle.

“Alexander!”

Alec turns and grabs the keys out of the air and runs over to the Presidential limousine, Ground Force One. It's an eight ton military armoured modified Cadillac CTS. Each door weighs as much as a cabin door.

“Never been in the front of one of these.” Magnus states as he gets in the passenger side as Alec slams on the accelerator.

“After this you won't want to.”

They crash through the garage door and onto the lawn of the White House. Alec speeds through the trees and eyes up the gate that he drove through not even 3 hours ago.

“Oh, no, no, no! It's 8 feet tall and dual-hardened steel. Even _I_ know we won't make it.” Magnus yells at him.

Alec swerves and begins aimlessly driving around the lawn. “Well, what do we do?!” Alec looks in the mirror and sees a large black Chevrolet Suburban headed their way. Alec swerves but doesn't move in time as the other car slams into the back of them and almost sends them spinning.

“Careful Alexander. They're in heavy weapons follow up.”

“What do you mean _heavy weapon_?!” Alec yells as he looks in the mirror again and sees on of the guys come through the sun roof with a rotating mini-gun which begins firing at their car but thankfully the bullets aren't getting through... for now.

“You've got to be kidding me!” Alec growls as he swerves again.

Bullet holes appear all over Alec's window, the fact that the glass was the only thing keeping him alive is not something he wants to dwell on.

“Tanks.” Magnus points outside the gate where the army have circled the outside gates. “We've got 'em let's use 'em.” Magnus brings out his phone and brings up the last person he called, he swipes across and the phone starts the call on speaker. Magnus doesn't wait for a response as he shouts at the phone, “I need you to blow a hole in that fence.”

“ _Sir, I'm not sure using heavy artillery is a wise-”_ Lightwood tells him.

Alec scoffs as he swerves again.

“I don't care about what you think is wise. Now you get that tank, and blow a hole in that god damn fence.”

One of the other vehicles almost cuts Alec off and they begin firing at the windscreen. Alec swerves left and crashes into the basketball court. Quickly manoeuvring around one of the nets the other vehicle isn't so lucky and spins, landing on it's roof.

Alec slams on the wheel in joy, “Yes! One to go.”

As they drive around the fountain they both look out the passenger window to see the tank on fire blocking the hole they made. Alec hits the wheel in frustration and lets out a growl.  
They feel the vehicle shake and swerve that isn't Alec's doing, accompanied by a large booming sound.

“Oh that sounds good and I can't see a thing.” Alec can't look out the windscreen due to it being littered with bullet holes and cracks.

Magnus leans forward and hits the screen on the dash. “There's a camera system, hold on.” as the screen turns on they see that they're about to crash head on with the White House and Alec swerves left.

“There's a weapons locker in the back!” Magnus exclaims as he then climbs into the back of the limo and Alec knows, he _knows_ that this is not the right time to be checking out his ass... but he does it anyway.

“Nice!”

“What you got?” Alec asks and Magnus turns to show him pieces of a rocket launcher.

“Now _that's_ what I'm talking about.” Alec looks between Magnus and the camera screen for a split second each. “Okay, that in your right hand, that's a blast shield, put that-” When Alec turns he sees Magnus clicking the rocket into place. “Perfect. Now I know you're into peace and all that but you've got to stick that thing out the window and go to work.” Alec yells at him.

As Alec turns he hears the explosion and sees the hole in the fence through the cracked glass.

Magnus comes back into the vehicle empty handed.

“I lost the rocket launcher.”

“You _lost-_ How do you _lose_ a rocket launcher?” Alec almost laughs at the stupidity of it.

Magnus sits in the back and turns on the TV and quickly finds the news channel.

“ _-just destroyed the West Gate of the White House.”_

“Great job, Magnus! Right one time around the fountain and we're out of here.”

“ _One of the terrorists seems to be holding a little boy at gunpoint.”_

Alec's heart slams into his ribcage. “What did he say?”

“ _The terrorist is holding young Rafael Lightwood over the balcony. He of course was the one to get the images of the terrorists out so the world could see.”_

Alec looks up and he can see his baby's tear stained face. The man is holding onto his baby boy and Alec is going to destroy him.

“ _Woah. Woah. Another rocket is-”_

“Alexander!” Magnus calls out to him.

It's too late.

They feel the rocket explode underneath them and then the vehicle is flying and turning through the air.

“Magnus!” Alec shouts as the vehicle plunges into the swimming pool upside down and begins to sink to the bottom.


	5. Chapter 5

Alec groans as he shifts his body, doing a quick check just to make sure everything is there. When he gets focused again he notices that he's leaning against the glass of the windscreen. Everything around him is blue, they're at the bottom of the pool. They were safe for now thank the Angels... well as safe as you can be in an upside down car at the bottom of a 10 foot swimming pool.  
He groans as he looks around and sees Magnus sprawled out in the back.

He calls out to him, “Magnus, you okay?”

Magnus raises his head and groans, “Peachy.”

Alec crawls through the gap between the two seats and into the back and over to Magnus and huffs out a laugh. “Wikipedia lies.”

Magnus groans and pulls himself up onto his knees while raising an eyebrow at Alec. The look definitely screams, 'What the hell are you talking about?'

Alec shakes his head as he checks his gun and looks around, “We need to go.”

Alec moved towards the door when Magnus grabs his arm. “You can't let them take me alive. A sitting President does _not_ become a hostage.”

Alec turns to him and looks him directly in the eye. “I will not let them take you.”

They stare at each other for a full five seconds before Magnus nods.

“This door is going to be near impossible to open, when it does this is going to fill up pretty fast. When the water hits your neck take a deep breath and we'll swim to the top.”

When Alec heard no reply he turned and saw that Magnus was frozen staring at the water outside the window. “Magnus?”

“I-I can't-” it was almost as if Magnus was choking on his words.

“Can't what, Magnus? What is it?”

Magnus is staring out the window and Alec understands, he walks over to Magnus and blocks his view of the water outside.

“It's alright, I'll be with you the whole time.” Alec takes his hand, “Nothing will happen to you.”

Magnus takes a deep breath and nods.

They both crawl over to the door and they both push it open, water plunges into the vehicle and Alec and Magnus take a deep breath. The limo fills up quickly and when Alec thinks the pressure is equal enough he pushes the car door open the full way. Alec looks behind him and holds out his hand to Magnus who takes it and the two swim up to the top.

As soon as Alec clears the water from his eyes he sees the others drive up and get out of the vehicle all shouting at each other.

The two climb out of the pool and Magnus stands in front of Alec, “They won't risk killing me to shoot you.” he whispers into Alec's ear.

The two watch as Camille and Victor argue with each other as they walk over to them. Camille smiles and raises her gun at them.

“Who _are_ you?” Victor shouts at Alec.

“I was on the tour!” Alec yells in return.

Victor laughs hysterically, “Look, I don't have an issue with you, but I do have a deadline.”

Alec pulls a grenade off his belt and puts it into Magnus' hand. “Pull the pin.” he whispers in his ear trying to not get distracted by the water that is running down his neck.

Magnus takes the grenade into his hand.

“Where does that leave us boys?” Victor asks them.

“Leaves us with this.” Magnus holds up the grenade and pulls the pin.

Camille and Victor stare at them with wide eyes as Magnus waits 4 seconds before throwing it towards them.

Alec grabs his arm and they run into the pool house behind them they both fall through the door as the grenade behind them explodes.

Alec kicks the door over with his foot but they don't have any time before one of the guys in the vehicles outside uses the mini gun and starts shooting the pool house. Alec looks across to see there's propane tanks.

“Not good.”

Magnus scrambles across the ground. There's a large cupboard that he opens and just sitting there is a lovely trap door that has a small flight of stairs that leads into a tunnel. As they ran down the tunnel they felt the pool house explode. Small shock waves were coming down the tunnel and Alec pressed Magnus against the wall. He put his arms up and pressed his forearms on either side of Magnus' head to protect him.

The shock waves were small, small bursts of a high wind.

Alec was looking down at Magnus who was also looking up at him. They were both panting as they stare at each other. Alec took a quick glance down towards his lips but quickly tore his eyes back up.

“It won't be long before they know we're down here.”

Magnus felt Alec's breath on his face. “We need somewhere to hide. Where does this tunnel lead to?”

“Just back to the Residence I think.”

Magnus looks behind Alec, “What about there?”

Behind Alec there were pipes running through the tunnel but there was a small gap in the wall that they could lie in. Alec touches the pipes to make sure they aren't hot before he climbs over the top of them. He gently helps Magnus over too and the two lie down, Alec has his gun in hand just in case.

At first they don't think that anyone followed them down but then Magnus sees torch light coming from down the tunnel.

They can hear the radio crackle as Camille stands in front of them.

“ _Camille. They're moving the money.”_

“Excellent, and my friends?”

“ _Haven't heard word yet. Let's wrap this up.”_

Camille let's out a growl of frustration as she shines her torch over the pipes, very close to Magnus' head and Alec raises his gun.

“Camille, they're not here. Come on.”

Camille huffs and looks down the tunnel, “Victor are you sure they're down here?” she talks into her radio.

“ _Did I spend 15 goddamn years running this place or did you?!”_ Victor yells.

Camille's partner walks over to her, “This guy is losing it.” he says to her, “What do we care if he gets the President?”

Camille snarls, “We made a deal. Let's go.” They walk the rest of the way through the tunnel.

After a few minutes Alec nods to Magnus and they climb back over the pipes, Magnus cries out in pain as he does so.

“Woah, you alright?” Alec comes over to him.

Magnus looks down and opens his suit jacket, his shirt is now stained with blood and has a large piece of shrapnel sticking out of his side. “Oh. That's not good.”

“We'll go just a bit further.”

Magnus pants and nods.

As they come through the tunnel Alec lets out a sigh of relief as they come out of a tunnel and into the large circular room in the basement.

Magnus stumbles past him and collapses on the sofa that is lying there.

Alec comes over and kneels beside him, “How did you not notice this?”

Magnus huffs out a breath but doesn't reply, “We're going to have to take that out.”

“Handles a gun and also a Doctor. So many fantasies so little time.”

Alec rolls his eyes and looks at the wound. “It's not too deep but if it gets infected you could die.”

Magnus chuckles, “Imagine being hunted by terrorists and I get taken out by a chunk of metal.”

“And it would look bad for my job application.” Alec smirks.

“Well we can't have that.”

Alec chuckles and looks up to see a first aid kit attached to the wall. “Thank the Angels.” he breathes as he goes over to it and opens it, shining a torch he finds bandages and some anti-septic wipes. When Alec comes back over he almost drops everything as Magnus has now unbuttoned his shirt and Alec is staring at the most gorgeous, toned, tanned torso ever.

Looking at the chunk of metal kicks Alec back into reality as he kneels down in front of Magnus.

“Tell me when you're going to pull it out.” Magnus huffs.

“Okay.”

Magnus then shakes his head, “Wait, no, don't tell me.”

“So you want me to just pull it out?” Alec raises an eyebrow.

“No. No, tell me.”

Alec grabs the shard trying to to jerk it too much, “Okay, on three. One-” Alec slid the shrapnel out of the man's torso.

“You're fired! Oh! You're so fired! I hate you!”

Alec smiled at Magnus' reaction, he reacted the same way when someone pulled a shard of glass from his back.

“Take my mind off it. Tell me about your son.”

“Raf? Well, he's ten. Light of my life for the last eight years.”

Magnus frowned, “Eight?”

Alec grabbed the anti-septic wipes and began cleaning around the wound. “Yea, uh, before I enlisted I tried to convince myself that I was straight. I was drunk, hurt, angry so I slept with someone I can barely remember. I went into the army, got outed, discharged after two years and came home.” Alec smiles softly, “It was the best thing that ever happened to me. It was late one night and there was an awful wailing sound at my door, I went down and there he was, wrapped in a blanket in a box with a note and his birth certificate.”

Magnus stared at Alec in utter shock.

“She said... horrible things, in that letter. Faked her name on the birth certificate but put my name down and then left him at my door.”

Magnus gasped, both in pain and surprise.

“A lot happened that year.” Alec chuckled, “I got full custody of him and I've never looked back. Can you stand?” He asked.

Magnus nods and they both stood as Alec got the bandage roll and began wrapping Magnus' torso.

“He became obsessed with you the day he found out you were trying to make Downworlders equal, and when you disbanded the DADT Act. You were the sparkly magic man that was going to change the world for us.”

“He's smart. You should listen to him.”

Alec huffs out a laugh, “Oh he's smart alright. Makes me proud and drives me insane at the same time.”

Alec stood up after he taped up Magnus' torso.

“If Rafael could see you right now he would be so proud.”

Alec looked down into Magnus' eyes and smiled. “What's it like being the President?”

Magnus sighs, “It's not like anything. Once you're in it's all about re-election, but just once I want to do something that's Presidential.”

Alec nodded, “You want to make history.”

Magnus shook his head, “No. I want to make a difference. You and me are not different, we're both people. I want all Downworlders to be treated as people. Not second class citizens.”

Alec didn't know what to say, the sincerity in Magnus' eyes was enough. He cleared his throat, “How do you feel?”

“Surprisingly okay.” Magnus smiled, “You never cease to amaze me, Alexander.”

Alec grins back, “In good ways I hope.”

Magnus buttons up his shirt again, “We should let them know we're still alive.”

Alec grabs the phone, surprisingly still okay, only a few cracks on the screen and he calls the Pentagon.

“ _Mr. President?”_

Alec sneers as his father's voice comes over the line.

“Yea and me. Where's Raphael and Lydia?”

“ _Relieved from command. Delta is in the air and will be there in four minutes.”_

“No, they have to come by ground they-.”

“ _I think we can handle it.”_

Alec swore in Spanish before replying, “Robert. They have surface to air missiles.”

“ _Not according to our intel.”_

Alec scoffed, “Are you the one in the White House or am I? If they fail they will kill every single hostage _including_ my son!”

“ _Even if I wanted to call them back I can't. They've gone dark for the assault.”_

“Alec, go.”

He looks up and Magnus nods. Alec takes a gun out of his holster and gives it to Magnus.

“Stay out of sight.”

With that Alec pockets the phone and sprints out of the basement to make his way up to the roof.

He hears an explosion above him and wills his legs to move faster as he climbs the stairs to the roof. Luckily not coming into contact with any of the other men. Hearing a second explosion is worse and Alec comes to the door of the rooftop and checks his rifle. “Last magazine. Let's go.”

Alec bursts out the door and his eyes instantly land on a man holding one of the missiles. He fires at the man's legs causing him to fall and drop the missile. Quickly turning to fire at two more men coming behind him, the noise from the chopper is deafening as Alec turns back to look for the missile.

It's still armed so he runs across the rooftop to get it.

A hail of bullets from the chopper fires at him and he rolls away and hides behind a wall.

“You've got to be kidding me.”

The bullets stop and Alec looks around the wall to see Camille lifting the missile to aim at the chopper.

He sprints across the rooftop and tackles her into the wall on her left side. She grunts as she keeps her hold on the missile and Alec wraps his arm around her waist and wrestlers her to the ground. Alec isn't a huge fan of hitting women but doesn't have much of an issue with her.

He grunts as she squirms out of his reach and quickly fires the missile.

It shoots past the chopper but then turns and hits it on the tail sending it down.

Alec is stunned momentarily and Camille uses that to elbow him in the face and cracks his nose as she scrambles away from him.

He scrambles after her and grips her arm but she uses that to throw Alec over her shoulder. Unknown to the both of them was the glass roof they were standing on as it shattered around them and the two were plummeting into a green house. There is a large table that breaks their fall as they crash to the ground.

Alec groans as he gets up first and punches Camille in the face. Pulling his fist back he moves to hit her again when she wraps her legs around his head and begins to choke him.

“Don't enjoy it too much.” Camille huffs out.

Alec grabs a shard of glass and stabs it into her thigh. It only slices her but she's released enough pressure that Alec breaks free and kicks her in the stomach.

“I'm gay.” he sneers at her.

Before he can do anything else another man kicks the door in and Alec barely thinks twice as he runs and jumps out the window. Trying to roll and break his fall doesn't work and he knows he messed up his ankle. He groans as he gets to his feet and the adrenaline helps to push him as he sprints away from the man now firing bullets at him from the window.

Little did Alec know that Camille was now grinning as she looked at his and Rafael's, now bloodied, White House passes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter just did not want to come out! It was so frustrating.  
> There isn't any movement between Raphael and Lydia or Rafael in this chapter :(  
> But they will be back for the last chapter!!!  
> Stay lovely! xx


	6. Chapter 6

In the Pentagon the group are watching the news at it shows footage of the Blackhawk attack. They are all in shock. Robert Lightwood stands with a scowl, not wanting to admit that he may have made the wrong decision.

The phone begins to ring and Raphael goes and answers it.

“Are you alright?” he hopes Alec and Magnus are okay.

“ _That was stupid.”_

Raphael grits his teeth at the phone as Victor's angry voice fills the room.

Lydia steps towards the phone, “Victor-”

“ _You knew I'd be ready for an attack but you sent them anyway. You made me kill them-”_

“I didn't make you do anything.”

“No one else has to die, Victor.” Raphael glances at the footage of the Blackhawks on fire and turned back to the phone.

“ _Have you started releasing my friends yet?”_

“They're in Downworlder prisons, you can't just expect us to be able to march in and release them.” Jace growls.

Victor sighs, _“I didn't want to have to do this but you've forced my hand.”_

“Do what?” Raphael and Lydia looked at each other.

“ _Retaliate.”_ The line went dead.

“What the hell does that mean?” Valentine asked.

An alarm begins blaring from the room and a voice comes over the speakers telling people under a certain clearance to evacuate the room immediately.

“Sir! A call from NORAD.” A man calls over to General Lightwood.

“Put them through.”

“ _General, our weapons system has been accessed remotely and we can't shut it off... It's targeting. Jesus... it's firing!”_ A very panicked man shouts over the phone.

“What's the target?” Lightwood demands.

“ _It's an aircraft over Ohio, seems to be a modified 747... my god.”_

Everyone whips around to look at the newly sworn in President.

“Raj!” Valentine calls out.

There is a loud booming sound over the speakers and the screen went black.

“Mr President!?” Lydia called out.

The room was silent.

A ringing phone broke the silence and Lightwood walked over, the clicks of his shoes echoed through the room. After a few moments he put the phone down and spoke quietly.

“We have confirmation of ground impact, no survivors.”

Jace sat down on a desk, Valentine stood in shock, Lydia punches down on the desk and Raphael bowed his head in a silent prayer.

Lydia sighed, “We're going to have to swear you in, sir.”

Valentine took a moment to realise that she was talking about him.

He started shaking his head in protest, “No. If President Bane is still alive-”

“It doesn't matter sir. The 25th had been invoked. Executive power passed to him and now the Office passes to you.”

Lightwood comes over with two other Uniformed men. One is carrying a large black case and they now stand in front of Valentine.

“Someone get a Bible.” Lightwood orders.

Everyone watches as Valentine goes with the two men up some steps and into a separate room with glass walls. Raphael watches as he puts his hand on the Bible and inside him is filled with a sense of failure. He watches Valentine scan his hand on the Nuclear football as well as get his new launch codes. Raphael is thrown back into the memory of when Magnus was elected, how happy his best friend was. Raphael had been standing next to his husband Simon.

Now he was watching another man be sworn in with no knowledge on if they were even still alive.

Back in the White House, unknown to Raphael, Simon was very much alive and was just as worried for his husbands safety.

He had his arm wrapped around Rafael, the boy was beside himself with tears after watching the car his dad had been in had been sent flying into a pool.

The door burst in and everyone jumped as Camille came sauntering in. She had dried blood around her nose and looked even more scary than earlier if that was even possible.

“Oh, Rafael Lightwood.” she sang into the room.

Rafael began shaking as she came towards him.

“How's the tour going?” she cackled.

Simon shushed Rafael and stood up, “Don't come near him.”

Camille sneered, “Really?” she took out her gun and shot him in the knee.

Simon let out a scream as he fell to the ground clutching his knee. “You _bitch_!”

Rafael crawled over to Simon and shouted at Camille, “You're going to jail for that!”

“Ooh, and who's going to make me?” she smiled.

She knelt down in front of Rafael, “You know, your daddy is causing me a lot of bother.”

“So he's still alive.” Rafael challenged.

“Not for long.” Camille sneered and grabbed Rafael's arm pulling him onto his feet and shoved him through the room.

“Simon!” Rafael shouted as he was dragged kicking and screaming out of the room.

Everyone in the war room watches as the new President walks back in.

“Mr President.” General Lightwood salutes, as does the rest of the room. Lydia, Raphael and Jace stand normally, staring at him.

“NORAD is fully compromised, Victor Aldertree now has the ability to launch missiles at any target in the United States. News coming in is that Downworlders are beginning to riot and militant groups have now entered the streets. What are your orders, sir?”

Valentine stands in front of them, “I swear to you all, we are not beaten yet. We're not...General? How soon can you execute an air strike on the White House.”

“Sir...” Lydia's eyes widen.

Raphael feels like he's going to be sick.

“We can have Raptors on the White House in ten minutes.”

Valentine takes a deep breath. “Do it.”

A sob is ripped out of Raphael's mouth.

Valentine stands in front of Raphael and puts his hands on his shoulders, “We need to end this. We have to.” Lydia is about to protest but Valentine cuts her off, “What if the next missile he launches goes into the Downworld. We could have a war on our hands in seconds, mass devastation.”

“Your first act as President is to bomb the White House?” Lydia questions.

“Believe me I know. Lydia, I know. But our country is stronger than just one house.”

The weight on Raphael's shoulders is nothing compared to the weight in his chest right now. He falls back and Jace catches him.

“Woah, Raphael.” Jace gently eases Raphael to the ground and rests his back against one of the desks.

Even if his husband and friend were alive, in ten minutes they won't be.

“I don't think they would've shown you the Oval Office on the tour, thought you'd want to see it.” Camille sneered as she pushed Rafael into the room.

Rafael grunted as he tripped over the carpet and almost fell. He saw the man sitting there that most definitely isn't President Bane.

“My dear, Victor, I've brought you a present.” She throws Rafael over the President's desk. Rafael bit his lip to not cry out as the desk banged into his stomach.

Victor looks up from his pager and notepad and looks at the kid with a raised eyebrow.

“The tourist's son.” Camille throws the passes at Victor who reads them.

“Well, hello, hello.”

Victor lifts the phone and presses a few buttons before speaking into it.

Alec has a knife in hand as he tries to quietly pry open the window.

“ _Good morning, Mr Lightwood.”_

Alec almost drops the knife in surprise and looks around for the voice, as it comes through the speakers.

“ _I'm sitting here with someone who would like to say hello to you... Say hello son.”_

Alec's heart stops.

“ _Alright, well, would you like to tell your daddy what Miss Camille is holding to your head.”_

“ _Ella tiene un arma.”_

Alec falls back against the wall in panic. That bitch had a gun to his baby.

“ _Now, Mr Lightwood. I'm going to start counting, if you do not give yourself up to my men in the allotted time of three seconds, Miss Camille is going to shoot little Rafael here in the head.”_

Alec can't breathe.

“ _One.”_

“ _Two.”_

Alec stumbles around the pillars to the front doors of the White House. He raises his hands in the air ready to walk through the door.

“Over here!”

Alec looks up. Magnus is walking through the hall with his hands in the air, one hand holding the gun he gave him and is walking towards the two men guarding the hostages in the Blue room.

Magnus glances out the door and makes eye contact with Alec.

“No! No!” Alec hisses but Magnus keeps walking over to the two men.

“Aw, it's about time Mr. President!” Carl laughs and talks into his radio.

“ _I guess daddy doesn't love you after all.”_

It's the last thing to come over the sound system and Alec is close to throwing up as he watches Magnus get taken away by the men.

They now had his son and Magnus.

Alec falls back and lifts out the phone, quickly dialling the number he hides back behind the pillar.

“ _Alec.”_

His father is the last person he wants to hear from right now.

“Put someone on the god damn phone now!”

“ _Alec?_ ”

“Lydia. They have the President.”

“ _Alec, listen to me, help is not coming._ ”

“Did you hear what I just said? They have the President.”

“ _Alec, they've called an air strike on the White House, the Vice President is dead. You just need to get out of there.”_

“No, they still have the hostages, they still have Rafael!” Alec hissed down the phone, he couldn't believe they have given up.

“ _I'm so, so, sorry Alec, I was wrong about you, but there's nothing you can do. If you stay there you're going to die.”_

Alec was shaking his head, “No, they have my little boy in there and I am not leaving him behind. Now you tell me how much time I have.”

“ _You only have eight minutes to get them out.”_

Alec took a deep breath. He was going to get them out or he was going to die trying.

“Goodbye, Lydia.”

Magnus was shoved into his office by one of the men. Camille was sitting on one of the sofas, kneeling beside her was a shaking young boy who Magnus guessed was Rafael.

The chair swung around to reveal Victor Aldertree as if he was some kind of Bond villain.

The man who grabbed his gun handed it to Victor. “He was carrying this.”

Victor raised an eyebrow as he checked the gun over, “What ever happened to 'the pen is mightier than the sword'?”

Magnus stood up straight and sneered, “Victor, as President of the United States, this comes with the full weight, power and authority of my office: Fuck you.” He turns to look at Rafael, he had a scratch on his face, hair was a mess and tear tracks stained his cheeks. “You alright?”

Rafael's eyes were watering as he nodded in response.

“Let's get down to business shall we?” Victor reached under the desk and lifted a large black satchel and dumped it on the desk, “I need you to open this for me.”

Magnus stared at it for a moment, “Victor... what are you doing?”

“What is that?” Rafael sat staring at it.

Out of the black bag came a dark silver briefcase that had a screen on it, “This, little boy, is the nuclear football. Only opens to the Presidents hand. If you please, Mr President.”

“Victor even if I did open that it wouldn't matter.”

“And why is that?” Victor sneered.

“My codes are useless, they switched them out as soon as you... took control.”

“You let me worry about that.”

Magnus took a deep breath, “Victor, not a day goes by that I don't feel terrible about Sebastian-”

“You think I blame you for his death? Sending him in to the Downworld was the greatest idea you had. To get the Upworlders in charge again. You were a true commander in chief, for five minutes.” Victor comes around the table to stand in front of Magnus. “You just don't have the balls to see the mission through.”

“What mission?” Magnus asked through clenched teeth.

“The Downworld will be our last war.”

Magnus' eyes widened when he realised what Victor was saying, “You're going to blow up the Downworld?”

“My son will be the last Upworlder to die in the Downworld in vain.”

Magnus couldn't believe what he was hearing, “So you're going to murder millions in his name?”

“Mr President, I wish the pen was mightier than the sword, I really do. It's just a dream. Downworlders and Upworlders cannot exist together. They are murderers, thieves and will not change. Open your eyes, sir. It's us or them.”

Rafael sat there shaking. This man wanted to blow up the Downworld on facts that aren't even true. He wasn't a murderer or a thief... unless you count stealing cookies from the jar without his abuela noticing.

“I have opened my eyes, Victor. I am not going to open that.”

Victor sighs, “Are we really going to do this again.” Victor grabbed the gun off the desk and walked over to Rafael.

Magnus watched as the little boy whimpered. “Victor.”

Victor stood beside Rafael and cocked the gun, running it over the small boys cheek before pressing the chamber to Rafael's temple, the youngster now sobbing quietly.

“How about now?”

Magnus stared at the young boy who was staring right back at him. Magnus would do anything to help him, but he can't open the case.

He spoke softly to the young boy, “I can't open this, millions could die. Do you understand?”

Rafael's breath hitched, he really didn't want to be shot, but he didn't want millions of Downworlders to die either. What Rafael wanted most was his papa.

A fire alarm blared through the Oval Office and Victor cursed loudly as he grabbed his radio.

“What the hell is going on?!” he shouted.

“ _Thermal alarms across the second floor. He's trying to burn the place down.”_

Rafael thanked whatever angel was listening, his dad was coming for him.

Camille grabbed her own radio, “Carl, he's on the second floor. Send you men.”

The sprinklers came on and Magnus could feel himself getting soaked. He looked over to see Rafael was standing in the corner and he walked over to him and wrapped him in his arms.  
The ground shook, lights flickered for a moment and there was a large rumbling noise.

“What the hell was that?” Victor asked the other two men.

Magnus leaned down and whispered in Rafael's ear, “Your dad is coming.”

“Carl, report.” Camille growled into the radio, “Killick!”

“ _Carl can't come the phone right now you bitch. Where's my son?”_ Alec panted over the radio.

Rafael can hear his dads voice, “Papa!” and Magnus sighed in relief.

“He's right here with me in the Oval Office, why don't you come get him?” she hissed.

Victor walked over and grabbed her arm, “Why do you have to make all this personal?”

“You want to talk to me about personal? You want to blow up the entire Downworld all for your damn kid!” She shook his hand off her arm and wiped the last of the blood from her nose, “Now, I'm going to go do what they failed to do. I'm going to kill this prick.”

Alec put the radio down as he looked at the now dead body of Carl Killick. A grunt pulled his eyes towards Simon who was on the ground groaning.

“Simon? You alright?”

The tour guide had limped over when Alec was about to be shot and bashed Carl over the head with a German mantle clock... according to the now groaning man.  
Alec saw he had bandages around his knee and a tourniquet above his knee. Alec went over and helped him up.

“Simon, how do I get to the Oval Office?”

Simon blinked, “Take the stairs to the ground floor, turn left, follow the west colonnade to the end.”

Alec collected the weapons lying on the floor and gave a shotgun to Simon.

“Take this, there's an air strike coming. You need to get everyone out.”

Simon looked down at the shotgun and then back at Alec, “This is so cool...”

Alec stared.

“Right, I'll get everyone out.” Simon quickly scurried away back to the blue room and Alec set off down the stairs to get to the Oval Office.

As the four stood under the sprinklers, one of the mercenaries was arguing with Victor over when they get their money. Magnus tried to keep Rafael as far away from the argument as possible. The man went to storm out when Victor followed him and shot him in the back of the head.

Rafael jumped and cried out at the noise.  
The sprinklers finally shut off and Victor looked up with a sigh, “Finally.”

In his moment of distraction Magnus grabbed a fountain pen off his desk and snuck up behind Victor, “I choose the pen.” he stabbed the tip into Victors neck.

Victor shook Magnus off, punching him in the face and ripping the pen out of his neck. He forcibly grabbed Magnus' hand and put it on the screen of the briefcase, successfully unlocking it. Giving Victor power over nuclear weapons.

Rifle at the ready, Alec opens the door to the colonnade and starts carefully walking past the pillars. The Oval Office is just around the corner.

He felt the vibrations of the phone in his pocket and took it out and answered.

“Yea?”

“ _Alec! Victor is launching a nuclear attack on the Downworld. We are talking about all out war.”_ Raphael is panicked on the phone.

“What-”

Alec dropped the phone as he is tackled through a glass window into a press room. He receives a punch to the face before he rolls out of the enemies reach.

Camille stands above him grinning, “I'm going to enjoy this.”

She rushes forward and kicks him in the stomach. The wind rushes out of Alec's lungs as he tries to crawl away from her.

“Your little bitch says your going to put me in jail.”

Alec grit his teeth in anger because _no one_ talks about his son like that. He swung his leg out and swept hers from under her and she crashed to the ground beside him. He crawled over her and punched her in the nose, effectively breaking it.  
Camille brought her leg up and kicked Alec in the side of the head sending him backwards. She quickly got up and took a knife out of her pocket. “I'm going to use this to carve my name into your chest.” her eyes were wild and blood was in her mouth and over her teeth.

Alec dodged the knife and grabbed her hands pulling them behind her so she now had her back to him, he unhooked the grenade belt from his waist and wrapped it around her hands, using the knife to secure it he pulled out all the pins.

“No jail time for you, little bitch.”

He pushed her to the ground and fled out the door and jumped into the bushes, covering his head as the press room behind him exploded.

He could feel the heat of the explosion on his back so he stayed down for a few more seconds.

Taking a small breather he carefully looked up to see Victor standing outside the oval office, then shouting at Rafael to get inside before he followed and closed the door.

Alec crouched through the bushes and towards the window, he could see Rafael leaning against the wall just at the window but couldn't see Magnus anywhere.

“Hijo, I'm right here, turn around.” seeing that Rafael wasn't going to look any time soon Alec needed another plan. He looked around before his eyes landed on one of the modified vehicles that chased him and Magnus and he grinned.

Quickly running over he got into the vehicle and thanked the angel that the keys were inside.

“Okay, Alec. Let's go.”

He reversed to a good distance and then revved the engine, he stomped down on the accelerator and the car sped towards the second window of the Oval Office. He closed his eyes as the vehicle crashed through the window and the President's desk before stopping in the middle of the office.

He looked to his left to see Rafael was pointing and shouting at Victor. He hand his hand hovering over a large red button.

“Oh shi-”

Alec climbed back and came out the roof of the car with the mini gun. “Rafael get down!” he shouted before he fired at Victor. The man came under a hail of bullets so powerful they pushed him against the wall.

When Alec was satisfied that he was dead he jumped out of the car, he fell to his knees as Rafael ran into his arms.

“Oh, hijo. I love you so much.”

“I love you papa.” Rafael sobbed into his shoulder.

“Where's the President, Raf?”

Rafael moved back and pointed to an open door, “He shot him. He shot him in there.” he cried.

“Okay, you have to listen to me. There's an air strike coming and you need to run.”

Rafael shook his head clutching his dads arm.

“Baby, I need you to go and you need to go now! I have to get the President.”

He pushed Rafael towards the hole in the wall and then ran towards the open door.

“Mr President? Magnus!?” he ran down the corridor and saw Magnus lying on the ground, unresponsive. “No!”

“ _-unbelievable sight. Rafael Lightwood is on the lawn waving off the air strike.”_

Alec looked to the T.V and saw Rafael waving the Presidential flag outside.

“No, no, no. Raf I told you to run!” he screamed at the T.V.

He felt the rumbling of the planes above and closed his eyes bracing for impact.

Nothing came.

He opened his eyes to see a group of people lifting Rafael onto their shoulders and cheering.

“Kids.”

Alec jumped and turned to see Magnus leaning heavily onto a desk.

“Magnus.” Alec breathed out and went over to him, wrapping him in a big hug.

“Are you alright?”

“For the head of my detail, Victor is a lousy shot.”

“I thought you were dead.”

Magnus laughed and pulled back, “Can't get rid of me that easily.”

Alec laughed and raised his hand to Magnus' cheek, they both leaned in, their lips touched gently, both needing a gentle touch after their ordeal. It was the best kiss Alec has ever had. He raised his other hand to his cheek and pulled Magnus closer.

Vibrating in his pocket tore him away from Magnus as he sighed and lifted the phone out and cleared his throat before answering it.

“Yep.”

“ _Alec... this isn't over yet.”_ Lydia's hushed voice came over the phone and Alec frowned.

“ _Victor had no prior contact with any of those people but someone else did._ ”

“Hang on, I'm going to put you on speaker. I'm with the President.”

“ _That woman, Camille, made multiple calls to a secure line in D.C. But we don't know who received them. The entire database was wiped twenty minutes ago_ ”

“E-mails? Phone records?”

“ _Alec, you didn't know him the man was practically a dinosaur. He used a pager for Christ sake.”_

Alec's eyes widened as realisation dawned over him, “Son of a bitch. Look Lydia, we'll meet you outside.” he hung up the phone and looked at Magnus.

“I think I know how Victor got those codes.”

Magnus frowned and looked at him, “How?”

Alec put Victors pager in his pocket and grabbed the case off the desk before he stumbled out the hole in the wall. The entire lawn was filled with people, reporters, army personnel.

“Rafael!” he saw his son surrounded by reporters and Raf grinned and ran over to him. Alec got down on his knees, dropping the case but keeping an eye on it as he hugged his son tightly.

“Did you see me? I grabbed the flag and waved off the air strike.”

Alec put his hand on his son's cheek and smiled, “I'm so proud of you, hijo.”

“Mijo!”

Alec glanced over and saw his mother running over to them. He smiled and got up as his mother squeezed him into a hug.

“Oh, I was so worried about you both, Isabelle came over to my house and we saw everything, are you alright? Are you alright Rafi?” She started fussing over both the boys.

“Mama, mama please.”

“Abuela.” They both complained.

Alec looked on as Marine One touched down behind Rafael and Maryse. He bent over and picked up the case, wincing slightly at the pain in his ribs.

“Raf, stay here with abuela.”

Rafael nodded and began animately telling Maryse all about what happened.

As the adrenaline begins to ware off he feels the pain in his ankle and begins limping over to the chopper.

An armed officer exited first, the Valentine, Lydia, Raphael and General Lightwood.

One of the officers came over to Alec and he gave them the case, “It's disarmed.”

Valentine came over and stood in front for, “Alec, thank God you're alright.”

Raphael quickly locked onto Simon who was standing near his Rafael. Lydia slapped him on the shoulder and told him to go. Alec watched as Raphael sprinted away from the group and over to his husband and he smiled slightly as they saw the pair embrace.

“Is the President with you?”

Alec took a deep breath, “He didn't make it, sir. I'm sorry.”

Lydia glanced at Alec.

Valentine let out a sharp exhale. “Oh, I, uh, I need to address the Nation.” he turned to the General, “I need you to contact the Joint Chiefs, we need to talk about moving the army into the Downworld.”

Lydia gasped, “You want to move them in?”

“If they find out we almost launched a Nuclear attack on them, there will be more riots then ever before, we could be on the brink of war. We need to move them into the Downworld to stabilise the areas.”

Lydia frowned and edged away from beside Valentine to beside Alec.

“Can I ask you a question, sir?” Alec asked.

Valentine nodded, “Of course, yea.”

“When did you and Victor make this plan?”

“Excuse me?”

“Alec, need I remind you, you are talking to the President of the United States.” his dad sneered.

Alec ignored him and kept going, “What was it? You give Victor the launch codes and he made you President?”

Valentine raised an eyebrow at him, “You can prove this?”

“Well, Victor had to get those codes from somewhere, and you were the only one with those codes.” Alec lifts the pager out of his pocket, “This was on Victor's person, and you know, I only know one other person who uses one of these.”

Lydia's eyes widen in horror as she realises what Alec means.

Valentine scoffs, “That doesn't prove anything. I use a pager, so what?”

“Lydia, will you do me a favour and call the return number on this?”

Lydia took the pager and lifted out her phone and dialed the number, putting the phone to her ear.

“If only the evidence had been destroyed in the air strike you ordered.”

A ringing comes from Valentine's pocket and he takes out his phone and cancels the call.

“You're an angel damned traitor, sir.”

Valentine strides forward so he stands toe to toe with Alec.

“You pathetic Downworlder.” he hisses, “I hired you when no one else would and this is how you repay me? And how I will repay you is by making sure your son will not have any kind of future. You know why I can do that? Because I am the President of the United States.”

“No you're not!”

Alec smiled as they all turned to see Magnus walking through the crowd.

“Valentine. You did all of this, just to keep the Downworlders at bay? Quite the politician.” Magnus comes to stand beside Alec and Lydia, “Take him into custody please, gentlemen. I want this trash off my lawn.”

The General and another uniformed officer grab Valentine and begin to lead him away. Valentine started resisting and shouting back to Magnus.

“You're not fit for office! You're dirtying this pure country to those filthy Downworlders!” He spat at Alec.

They led him away and Lydia turned to Magnus, “We need to get you to the hospital.” Other secret service members surrounded Magnus and escorted him to Marine One.  
Alec stared after him and saw Magnus was looking back to him as well, so many things needed to be said, Alec now wouldn't have the chance.

Lydia looked at him, “Are you okay? You look terrible.”

There was a gash on Alec's forehead, the blood had ran down the left side of his face and dried, he was covered in dirt and blood.

Alec chuckled, “I'm fine, just make sure Mag- the President is taken care of.”

Lydia raised an eyebrow at his slip of the tongue, “Thank you for all you did today.”

He nodded, “Thank you for trusting me.”

“Special Agent Lightwood!”

They both turned to see Magnus standing at the bottom of the steps to the chopper, “I'm not going anywhere without my protection.”

Lydia turned to Alec smiling, “You heard him.”

They both began walking over. Raphael had a limping Simon's arm around his neck as they both entered the chopper too. With quiet words to Magnus before they went in.

As they walked over Lydia spoke to Magnus, “We'll have to get into contact with Downworld leaders as soon as possible to ensure there is no issues over what happened today.”

Magnus smiled, “I think I know how to prove our unity.”

Lydia frowned, “How?”

Magnus grabbed Alec and pulled him into a kiss, this one was a lot more passionate than the last. Their tongues battled for dominance and behind them were many flashes of cameras, cheering and yelling from the crowd.

Magnus pulled back and smiled.

“Did you just kiss me as a political move?” Alec raised a hand to his heart in mock hurt.

“Would I do such a thing?” Magnus winked and then ran up the steps to the chopper, turning back again. “Would Rafael like to come for a ride?”

Alec grinned and he span around to find Rafael grinning at him.

“Rafael! Want to come along?”

Rafael's eyes widened and he ran after his dad.

Alec smiled as he put his arm around his son and together they walked up into Marine One, leaving the destroyed White House behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that's that!  
> Thank you so much for sticking with me on another fic!  
> Love you all so much for being patient with my terrible update times and for all your comments.  
> Hope to see you soon  
> xx


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